Manila, April 21 (CNA) The Philippine government issued a directive Monday that opens the door to visits by some of its government officials to Taiwan for economic and trade purposes as well as visits by Taiwanese officials to the Philippines.
The change came in Memorandum Circular No. 82, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on April 15 and made public Monday. It was made “to further maximize opportunities for the development and expansion of the Philippines’ priority areas of investment,” it said.
The circular amends the implementation of Executive Order No. 313, issued in 1987 by then-President Corazon Aquino.
The 1987 order banned all government officials from visiting Taiwan or officially receiving Taiwanese delegations, as part of Manila’s one-China policy that diplomatically recognizes the People’s Republic of China over Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China.
Under Memorandum Circular 82, the travel ban now applies only to the Philippines’ president, vice president, secretary of foreign affairs, and secretary of national defense.
Other government officials may travel to Taiwan for economic, trade, and investment purposes, but “they shall travel using their ordinary passports and without using their official titles,” the circular said.
Before visiting Taiwan, they must also inform the de facto Philippines embassy in Taiwan, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), and submit a report on their travel to both MECO and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the circular said.
Memorandum Circular No. 82 also eased the guidelines for Manila in receiving Taiwanese delegations.
Philippine government officials and agencies, through MECO, may now host delegations from Taiwan for economic, trade and investment activities.
They are also required to notify MECO at least five days before the visit and submit a post-visit report to MECO and the DFA.
The circular did maintain some of the restrictions set in 1987, however. It said that no agreements or memoranda of understanding may be signed with “any Taiwanese organization or agency without clearance from the DFA” and, when necessary, the Office of the President.
In response, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) welcomed the Philippines’ renewed guidelines, saying that the latest decision to loosen official exchanges could further enhance bilateral cooperation.
According to MOFA, Taiwan is the Philippines’ eighth-largest export market, ninth-largest trade partner and 10th-largest source of imports.
The Philippines and Taiwan ended official diplomatic relations in 1975 but continue to maintain close exchanges on many fronts.
Manila is also the third largest source of migrant workers to Taiwan with around 153,000 Philippines in the country as of August 2024.
