RAMOS SUGGESTS ALTERNATIVE IF CONSULATE TAKES TIME

Ramos suggests alternative if Consulate takes time

April 17, 2011 Kota Kinabalu: Former Philippines President Fidel Ramos said the setting up of an Economic and Cultural Office might be an alternative to the long awaited Filipino Consulate office here.

Ramos said this might be the best solution in helping to solve the problems faced by the State Government regarding the sizeable Filipino presence in Sabah, especially illegal immigrants, apart from attending to the needs of the community.

He was speaking to Daily Express Chief Reporter Kassim Sangi and Chief Editor James Sarda in an exclusive interview.

"Maybe we can do it the way we do it with Taiwan. It's an Economic and Cultural Office. No political, no security or defenceÉbecause cultural covers social, immigration and everything.

"Taiwan does the same thing with us and with other countries in the Pacific. They are called Teco (Taiwan Economic Cultural Office) in Palau, Fiji and Vanuatu because of the One China policy (due to China's emphasis that only it and not Taiwan represents the real China).

"I think it can also apply in Sabah because the presence (Filipinos in large numbers) is there and the expectation is in place," he said.

Ramos said he realised that hundreds of thousands of Filipinos are residing in Sabah, including the illegals.

"A book by the former Asean Secretary-General Rod Severino said it's time there should be a consulate to take care of their needs and defend their interests in Sabah.

"But the Department of Foreign Affairs precisely has said that would be relinquishing the Sabah claim because you should not put a consulate in your own territory. I think the answer is somewhere in between," he said.

To a question on whether his government was aware that the Filipinos in Sabah have nowhere to turn to for help, Ramos said he knew about it, especially in Sandakan where he had a dialogue with them.

"I can recommend this suggestion to Mr Aquino (President)," he said, when asked if he would use his good office to ask the Government to at least set up a permanent office to deal with the problems faced by Filipinos here.

Towards this end, he said during his tenure he came up with the idea of the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philipines-East Asian Growth Area or BIMP-EAGA.

"So that we will have more representation here but private sector.

Not official," he said.

On the Sabah Claim, he said "eventually we are looking for a constitutional solution so that there is a statement in our Constitution that would say so.

"But during the Sabah claim in the 1960s during President MacapagalÉ claimed that the possession and, therefore, the sovereignty over Sabah is by way of the action of the old Sultan of Brunei ceding islands or parts of islands or territories to the sultanate in compensation for some military or moral support he got from Sulu.

"Of course Sabah was in the middle. There were not enough people here who objected to say, 'hey, we are not involved'. They could have said that but it was a long time ago, 1870 I think it was," he said.

"My solution was, in the meantime, let's do this economic cluster called BIMP-EAGA. Put the theoretical and legal problem in the back-burner and take advantage of the China market and agro-industrial and available opportunities," he said.

On the many claimants of the Sulu Sultanate, especially the recent one, Mohd Akjan Ali Mohamad, he believed that with due respect he believed the claimant was a printer.

"Maybe he has a printing press because he has all sorts of beautiful documents, including printed on old parchments like 150 years ago.

"Very impressive logo and nice pictures of him. Like some TV advertisements, but with due respect to him," he said.

On the BIMP-EAGA's success as far as the Philippines is concerned, he said that during his time, at least 50 Malaysians were providing capital in Iligan (Mindanao) such as in steel rolling mills.

"Maybank is still there. And all the way to Manila, they have built expressways.

Maybe the most visible will be in aviation," he said.

Ramos also talked about his relationship with the Marcoses.