RP consul general says he is aware of duties to nationals

Philippine Consul General Wilfredo DL. Maximo told businessman Tony Glad yesterday that his office knows the “depth and breadth” of its duties and responsibilities to Filipino nationals in the CNMI and defended its track record in looking after their welfare.

“The Philippine Consulate General is well aware of its duties and responsibilities to its nationals, foremost among which is attending to their welfare. This includes, among other things, coming to their defense in instances when they are being disparaged by a clearly identifiable source, as in your case,” said Maximo in a letter to the Island Medical Center owner dated March 25.

The Philippine government’s chief representative to the Commonwealth also said he is prepared to accept Glad’s statement that it was not the businessman’s intention to hurt anyone during his interview with KSPN 2 last March 14.

However, Maximo took issue with Glad’s recent remarks that, instead of issuing statements critical of him, the Consul General should do more to help Filipino workers affected by the closure of Island Medical Center.

“As to ensuring that Filipino workers’ rights are being protected, the fact that the Philippine Consulate General [on] Saipan is one of the few Philippine [p]osts that has an attached Labor Office should be clear indication of the seriousness with which the Philippine government views its responsibilities to workers in the islands.”

Maximo added, “We need not issue a press statement for each instance we come to the aid of the thousands of Filipino workers that come to our offices for assistance or the number of times we coordinate with local authorities to look into the numerous ongoing labor or criminal cases involving Filipino nationals.”

The Consul General concluded that he hopes Glad’s recent statement is not an attempt to transfer to the Philippine Consulate General his own responsibility for his employees and clients.

“We know where our duties lie. And we assure you that we will remain faithful to our mandate,” he said.

The issue between the two arose after Glad commented in a TV interview that, “It is typical of the Filipinos…when they have problems…they [dis]appear and leave for some reasons.”

Glad was discussing the sudden disappearance of his Filipino accounts manager, Romeo Dolot, a day after the Department of Public Health closed down the Island Medical Center on March 5 due to alleged noncompliance with rules and regulations.