Pimentel seeks probe of Meco under Banayo

Angelito Banayo —RAFFY LERMA

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III is calling for an investigation of the current leadership of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (Meco), an agency which deals with Taiwan, for violating the country’s “One China” policy.

In a resolution, the highest-ranking official of the Senate said Meco, now headed by former National Food Authority chief Angelito Banayo, was forcing employees to resign for being “coterminus” with the previous administration.

That would give Meco, which handles trade and other transactions with Taiwan as a private corporation, an official government character which would violate the One China policy, Pimentel said.

China considers Taiwan as a province and has threatened to use force if Taiwan sought independence.

Tied to China

The One China policy prevents the Philippine government from entering into any official transaction with Taiwan and allows only “person-to-person” relationships with the Taiwanese people.

Taiwan maintains the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in Manila as a counterpart to Meco.

In his resolution, Pimentel said Meco’s new officials, led by Banayo, threatened to force the resignation of regular employees carried over from past administrations.

Pimentel said the employees must not be considered as political appointees because that would give Meco the characteristics of being a government agency.

Pimentel did not mention any Meco official in his resolution, but the agency is now headed by Banayo, who had been appointed by President Duterte as managing director and resident representative.

Political appointees

Banayo had been part of the campaign team of Mr. Duterte. But he is currently facing a graft case at the Office of the Ombudsman over the use of allegedly fictitious farmers’ groups to corner import permits that had been used to smuggle rice into the country.

“There have been reports that recent actuation of the ‘new management’ of Meco may prove to be in violation of the One China Policy,” Pimentel said in Senate Resolution No. 302.

“Allegedly, Meco has begun treating its regular employees as mere political appointees of government who are coterminus with the former administration,”  read Pimentel’s resolution.

Some of the employees, he said, were “reportedly forced to resign or retire to give the ‘new management’ a free hand to appoint their own people.”

But, citing a Feb. 4, 2014, Supreme Court decision, Pimentel said Meco was a “nongovernment entity” where employees enjoy “security of tenure.”

Government character

He said Meco employees “should not be removed for the reason of giving the ‘new management’ the right to appoint people in accordance with wishes of the Philippine government or its political appointees.”

Pimentel also cautioned against constituting a board of directors or appointing officers and employees in Meco “with control and supervision” of Malacañang as this “may result in removing the status of Meco as a private corporation.”

This would turn the agency into “a government-controlled entity performing diplomatic functions in Taiwan, which is a complete violation of the One China policy.”

Pimentel warned that this might put the Philippines’ relations with China at risk.

He said to avoid tension among China, the Philippines and Taiwan “it is imperative and necessary to conduct an inquiry on the status of Meco.”

“If found necessary,” Pimentel said, new laws should be enacted “to avoid any serious diplomatic issues and problems concerning the One China policy.”