TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The head of the Philippines Bureau of Immigration visited Taiwan for the first time to discuss human trafficking, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said Friday (Oct. 13).
Commissioner Norman Tansingco was invited in September for the first visit by a Philippines immigration chief, per CNA. The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Oct. 2020 to promote cooperation to combat people smuggling.
Tansingco and his delegation attended the first bilateral meeting since the signing of the MOU, reaching a consensus about intensifying exchanges and conducting the fight against human trafficking, the NIA said. The proximity between the two countries and the large presence of Philippine nationals in Taiwan were factors in their cooperation, according to the statement.
The NIA pointed out that the United States listed the Philippines in Tier 1 of its global trafficking in persons report. The ranking meant that the Southeast Asian country was making serious efforts to eradicate human trafficking.
Taiwan signed related agreements or MOUs with 22 countries and hosted bilateral top-level meetings with Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other nations. The events showed Taiwan’s determination to deal with the issue of people smuggling, the NIA said.