A staff member of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Manila who is preparing to wrap up his second stint at the office would be returning to Taiwan in February with a Philippine police decoration for having helped his host government arrest several criminal suspects.
Jerry Wang (王智勇), who has served as the equivalent of a police attache at the office, first served in the Philippines from July 2011 to January 2016 and was reassigned to Manila in December 2016.
Thanks to Wang’s help, Taiwan and the Philippines have solved several major transnational crimes during his stint in Manila, the TECO said on Saturday.
Photo: CNA
Wang, who received the “Medalya Ng Katangitanging Gawa” (Outstanding Achievement Medal) from the Philippine National Police (PNP) on June 3, was the first foreign national to receive the honor, the TECO said.
Then-PNP chief Archie Gamboa awarded him the medal in a ceremony attended by Representative to the Philippines Michael Hsu (徐佩勇), Wang said yesterday.
According to the Philippine Government Official Gazette, the medal is awarded to PNP members and Philippine civilians and to foreign nationals for distinguished achievement or service in advancement related to public service of the highest order.
The PNP citation praised Wang for facilitating the signing of a memorandum of understanding on combating transnational crime between the two sides, which included the arrest and repatriation of several high-profile Taiwanese criminals.
TECO records showed that Wang played an important role in the arrest of three high-profile criminals in 2018 and last year: former city councilor Ricardo Parojinog, who was hiding in Taiwan and was wanted by the Philippine authorities for drug-related cases; Israeli-American Oren Shlomo Mayer, who was wanted in connection with the murder of a Canadian in New Taipei City; and former Tainan County council speaker Wu Chien-pao (吳健保), who fled Taiwan in 2014 after being convicted of fixing professional baseball games.
Wang said he was able to accomplish the tasks assigned by his Taipei headquarters largely due to the good connections he established during his first term in Manila.
The National Police Agency and the TECO in Manila also provided support to the PNP, which helped the two sides to establish closer cooperation, he added.
“There is a real need for close cross-border anti-crime cooperation between Taiwan and the Philippines due to their geographical proximity. I believe that by frequent anti-crime engagements, the two sides can further strengthen their relations,” he said.
Other operations facilitated by Wang include anti-drug operations, anti-telecommunications fraud operations, anti-firearms operations, anti-kidnapping operations, exchanges of visits by high-ranking officials, workshops in Taiwan and scholarship programs for PNP personnel at Taiwan Central Police University.
Wang’s successor is scheduled to arrive in Manila next month, TECO said.
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