Taiwan-Philippines fishery meeting sees agreement on proposals

Taiwan's Representative to the Philippines Gary Lin (second right) shakes hands with Manila Economic and Cultural Office director Cesar Drilon Jr. in a fishery meeting in Manila Friday. Photo: Focus Taiwan

Taiwan and the Philippines reached agreement on several fishery cooperation proposals during a meeting held Thursday in Manila, according to Taiwan's representative to the Philippines, Gary Lin (林松煥).

In the third Taiwan-Philippines technical meeting on fishery affairs, representatives from Manila answered a request by Taipei, promising efforts to push for the legislation of a "sea-land passage bill" that would allow innocent passage by fishing boats from Taiwan or other countries through waterways between Philippines-controlled archipelagos, Lin said Friday.

Such a bill would help to reduce fishing disputes, Lin said, adding that the fishery meetings have helped boost relations between Taiwan and the Philippines and their cooperation in law enforcement efforts related to fishing.

Thanks to the meetings, which began in 2015 under the principle that at least one meeting is held each year, the two countries have gradually established mutual trust in law enforcement aimed at protecting fishermen's rights and interests, and have seen their friendship deepened, Lin said.

During Thursday's meeting, the Taiwanese and Philippine delegates reached agreement on proposals to promote the enforcement of fishery regulations, deepen and complete the mutual reporting mechanism, and establish a communication hotline.

They also agreed that Taiwanese fishing boats will receive assistance if they seek passage through Philippines territorial waters, and that the two countries will share fishery information and jointly crack down on illegal fishing, according to Lin.

Taiwan and the Philippines signed a fishery agreement in 2015, two years after a Taiwanese fisherman was killed in May 2013 when a Philippine Coast Guard vessel strafed his family's fishing boat in waters that both countries consider part of their exclusive economic zones.

The shooting triggered a diplomatic row, but eventually led to negotiations over how to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Under the pact, the two sides organized their own technical working panels, which hold at least one meeting each year to discuss the execution of fishery law enforcement. The first meeting was held in Taipei in November 2015, and the second of its kind took place in March 2016, also in Taipei. - Focus Taiwan

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Finance Minister Dominguez III Asks Jack Ma to Remove Faked Tax Stamps from Alibaba

Fake BIR Stamps pre-printed by MEIKEI Printing Co., LTD in China for cigarette boxes sold online. The same case as the Mighty Corporation with pre-printed BIR Tax Stamps. Source: https://sc01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1yKS.NXXXXXatXVXXq6xXFXXXl/Customized-OEM-cigar-label.jpg an image stored at Alibaba server aliccdn.com 

Philippines asks Jack Ma to remove fake tax stamps from Alibaba

Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez III wrote a letter to Jack Ma, asking the latter to remove fake Philippine tax stamps on the Alibaba website.

“If you go to Alibaba.com, you can see there an item [option] to buy fake Philippine cigarette stamps,” Dominguez said during a tax reform forum in Metro Manila’s Makati City on Friday.

“I wrote a letter to Jack Ma to ask him to remove it from his website because that [online sale] is hurting the Philippine interests,” said Dominguez, adding he has started a campaign telling people not to buy the fake Philippine tax stamps online.

The Philippine government has been investigating Alexander Wong Chu King, president of Mighty Corporation, for allegedly using fake tax stamps worth P1.5 billion (Dh109 million) to avoid paying taxes. It is not yet known if he bought the fake Philippine tax stamps online or he had them printed in Manila.

Screen captured of zoom image of faked BIR Stamp taxed pre-printed in China. If BIR will examine these stamps would realy turned not exists in their databased because these are pre-printed. Source website address as appeared in the photo. ( https://goo.gl/Pzvw43 )

Dominguez asked Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to “move fast”for the lifting of a temporary restraining order issued by a lower court in Manila on Monday which prevented the Bureau of Customs (BOC) from raiding and inspecting the warehouses of Mighty Corporation.

The TRO would be good for 20 days, from March 3 to 23, 2017.

Packs of cigarettes with fake tax stamps were also seized from Mighty Corp’s container vans in ports in Tacloban City, central Philippines; in a warehouse in Pampanga, central Luzon; and in General Santos and Zamboanga cities in southern Philippines, the BOC said.

Letter of Philippine Finance Minister (Secretary) to Jack Ma regarding the faked BIR Tax Stamps appearing in his Alibaba online store

Forged stamps found in King’s warehouse in Pampanga alone could amount to P1 billion in revenue losses for the government, said Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) chief Caesar Dulay.

Earlier, President Rodrigo asked King to double to ₱3 billion its tax liability of ₱1.5 billion in a compromised settlement, adding the money will be used for the repair of two public hospitals in the southern Philippines and one in Metro Manila.

“The taxes that he did not pay, whether intentionally or not, can be settled or compromised. That’s the word [used] in law. The ₱1.5 billion worth of fake tax stamps that he has printed, double that amount [in paying back the government], and I’ll forget to press charges [of tax evasion against him],” explained Duterte, adding, “His [King’s initial] offer to pay ₱1.5 billion, that’s not acceptable for me. He should make it ₱3 billion.”

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, adding that King could also be charged with economic sabotage and bribery, said King sent to Duterte a package with a pile of cash.

On March 7, when Duterte ordered the arrest of King, the latter met with National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Dante Gierran and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre.

Both the BIR and the BOC have started to prepare an air-tight case against King, said Finance Secretary Dominguez. -with sources from Manila Bulletin and the Gulf News

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