After lifting of Taiwanese sanctions vs. PHL, Pinoy rep to resume post Aug. 12

Tags: Taiwan

After Taiwan lifted its sanctions on the Philippines over an encounter that killed a Taiwanese fisherman last May 9, Philippine representative to Taiwan Antonio Basilio is expected to return to Taipei on August 12, a report of Taiwan's Central News Agency (CNA) said on Friday.  

Taiwan is also sending back its representative to the Philippines soon.
 
Taiwan's representative to the Philippines Raymond Wang may resume duty in Manila "sometime soon," the CNA report said.
 
Wang had been recalled to Taipei at the height of tension between the Philippines and Taiwan over the May 9 incident.
 
Shortly after the May 9 incident, Taiwan imposed sanctions on the Philippines, including the freezing of the hiring of Filipino workers and the issuing of a travel alert.
 
However, on Thursday, three months after the May 9 incident, Taiwan said it was lifting all sanctions on the Philippines, after Manila Economic and Cultural Office head (MECO) Amadeo Perez Jr. visited the slain fisherman's family to relay the Philippines' apologies.

The lifting of the sanctions was confirmed by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila (TECO) political director Andrew Lin in a text message to GMA News Online.
 
Aside from the removal of the hiring freeze, the other sanctions lifted included a "red" travel alert urging Taiwanese not to visit the Philippines and the suspension of exchanges between high-level officials, as well as a halt to exchanges on trade and academic affairs.

Perez had served as Philippine President Benigno Aquino III's representative in going to Taipei Thursday to apologize to the family of fisherman Hung Shih Cheng, 65, who was killed in the May 9 encounter.

According to an Agence France-Presse report, Perez travelled to the small southern port town of Hsiaoliuchiu to meet the family.
 
"May I respectfully present our official letter of apology to the family of Mr. Hung on behalf of our president and our people," he told Hung's widow, before giving her the letter and shaking her hand.
 
Hung's family accepted the Philippines' apology, Perez said in a "24 Oras" report.
 
"Nagrespond naman 'yung anak at 'yung biyuda na tinatanggap nila 'yung apology ng Pilipinas," Perez said.
 
On Wednesday, the Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation released its findings on the incident and recommended that homicide charges be filed against eight Philippine Coast Guard personnel for the shooting.
 
The NBI said it recommended homicide charges against eight Coast Guard personnel in the shooting.
 
The NBI also suggested sanctions against four others for allegedly trying to alter the evidence. - VVP, GMA News

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