CM urges envoy to be serious on Filipino illegals
28 July, 2007

Kuala Lumpur: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman has again urged the Philippine Government to take concrete measures against Filipino illegal immigrants coming into Sabah.

He said the State Government and the people of Sabah would like to see an indication that the Philippine Government was serious in tackling the matter.

"I hope your Government can take note of how concerned we are over the illegal immigrant problems in Sabah. They are causing a lot of social problems and it is making people in Sabah uneasy," he said during a courtesy call by Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Victoriano Lecaros, Friday.

The Chief Minister said the State Government would like to see some progress in assisting the Malaysian Government in the repatriation process of Filipinos namely in their documentation.

"The State Government does not want to be seen as just talking", Musa said. He said failing to do so has given the opposition an excuse to hurl all kinds of accusations and a reason to attack the Government.

Musa said one of the possible solutions was to develop the economy of the Southern Philippines to help its people gain a better livelihood and, therefore, make the prospects of coming to Sabah less attractive.

He also hoped the Philippines Government would establish a Consulate Office in Sabah to facilitate the documentation of its nationals.

Meanwhile, Lecaros said the final decision to set up a consulate office in Sabah, was in the hands of the Philippines top leadership.

Nonetheless, he said the Philippine Government was serious in looking for solution to resolve the issue of Filipino illegal immigrants in Sabah.

"We are very committed to doing our part. We are coping with the problems to the best of our ability," Ecaros said.

He said one of the efforts undertaken to speed the issuance of documents to Filipina illegal immigrants was establishing consular visits to Sabah every two-months.

Lecaros agreed that such measures were temporary and that the real solution was to stop the outflow of the Philippines nationals by developing the socio-economic in Mindanao.

"However, this is only possible if the peace process is continued in the region, " he said.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=51644