Malacañang left the fate of the Filipino caregiver in Taiwan to the discretion of China, saying the former was still part of the Asian giant.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after Taiwan rejected the call of the Philippines Overseas Labor Office (POLO), an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to deport Elanel Ordidor because of her criticisms against President Duterte.
In an interview over ANC, Roque said they respect Taiwan’s view on the matter as he agreed that the host country has the final say on deporting foreign nationals.
“We leave the Filipino caregiver to the jurisdiction of Taiwanese authorities because deportation is really a decision to be made by Taiwanese authorities which forms part of China. We leave it that wholly to the discretion of Taiwan and China. Taiwan is part of China,” he said.
“We respect that decision and, of course, in the same way that we will enforce our law on all foreigners while they are under our jurisdiction,” he added.
Roque earlier said that the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the local labor attaché in Taiwan about what to do with Ordidor. He added that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBO) was already investigating the overseas Filipino worker for cyberlibel.
On Tuesday, Taiwan’s foreign ministry dismissed the call to deport the Filipina caregiver because of her nasty social media posts against President Duterte and criticisms on the Filipino government’s response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country where foreign workers enjoy ‘citizen treatment,’ and their rights and interests are protected by relevant laws and regulations, including freedom of speech, which should be respected by governments of all countries,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was quoted saying.
“No person or institution, in this case, has the right to pressure her, her employer, or broker, nor shall she be deported without consultations held between both governments,” it added.
Fidel Macauyag, labor attaché of the POLO in Taichung City, claimed that Ordidor was using multiple social media accounts and participated in a group organized to discredit, malign, and destabilize President Duterte.
He added that sharing and posting of such videos are punishable under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)