The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed the nomination of former Philippine Cabinet secretary Silvestre Bello III as the new head of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), the country’s de facto embassy in Taiwan.
The nomination of Bello, a 78-year-old lawyer who served as secretary of labor and employment in 2016 under former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, was made by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday last week.
The official nomination was expected to be announced after Marcos Jr’s inauguration yesterday, MOFA deputy spokesperson Tsuei Ching-lin (崔靜麟) said.
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Asked about the incoming MECO head, Michael Hsu (徐佩勇), head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, said that Bello had close relations with the country’s executive branch, and extensive experience in politics and public service.
As secretary of labor, Bello visited Taiwan in 2019 for a round of labor meetings, he added.
About 150,000 Philippine migrant workers live in Taiwan, making the country the third-largest source of migrant workers to the nation, followed by Indonesia and Vietnam.
“Bello’s nomination is a perfect choice for MECO chair,” Hsu said, adding that he is looking forward to working closely with Bello to enhance bilateral ties.
“I believe he is the MECO chair with the highest public profile, having previously served as a department secretary,” Hsu said, adding that the previous highest-level MECO chairs were deputy ministers or deputy secretaries.
Bello would be replacing incumbent Wilfredo Fernandez.
Bello has been in politics since 1986, when he was appointed governor of Isabela province from April 1986 to February 1988.
He later held several Cabinet positions, including as secretary of justice from July 1991 to February 1992 under then-Philippine president Corazon Aquino; and then again as acting justice secretary under former president Fidel Ramos from February 1998 to June 1998.
From 2004 until 2010, he was Cabinet secretary under then-Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
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