PHILIPPINE consuls in several cities in the United States are set to meet to find ways to help Filipinos illegally staying in the country amid a mass deportation plan of President-elect Donald Trump, Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez said yesterday.
American authorities have said there are at least 300,000 Filipinos illegally staying in the US, making them the fifth largest group of undocumented immigrants. There are over 4.6 million Filipinos in the US, according to records.
Romualdez said the meeting will be held next month at the Philippine Embassy in Washington.
The Philippines has consuls assigned in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Honolulu and Guam.
“We will discuss how we can assist illegal Filipino immigrants in the US,” Romualdez told radio dzBB, adding they will also get directions and inputs from Malacañang, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the consult the Department of Migrant Workers.
Romualdez on Sunday said many Filipinos, especially those staying illegally in the United States, are anxious about Trump’s plan to deport illegal immigrants. He asked Filipinos illegally staying in the US to return to Manila or work to legalize their stay in that country.
The Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC) project, which is expected to strengthen the infrastructure program in Luzon, is expected to be sustained under the incoming Trump administration, presidential economic adviser Frederick Go said yesterday.
“It’s all systems go,” Go said in a chance interview on the sidelines of the signing of the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises to Maximize Opportunities for Reinvigorating the Economy (CREATE MORE) Act into law in Malacañang.
He said the LEC steering committee is even set to hold its third meeting on November 21.
“Right now, it’s for the rail, for the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas Rail … ADB is finalizing the terms of the study. They also have identified specific projects within the corridor,” he added.
Go said some countries have already raised interest in joining the LEC.
“This is a trilateral G7, which includes now the US and Japan, and there are other countries who want to join the corridor project. So, we’re now in discussion of how to make the corridor more inclusive to the other countries that are interested in participating,” he said.
Go also said that the Philippines has a few trade agreement requests that it would push with the Trump administration which is expected to “enhance trade between Manila and Washington.”
“The Board of Investments and the Department of Trade and Industry are compiling these matters that we would like to bring to the Trump administration,” he said. (A. Hachero with Jocelyn Montemayor, Malaya.com)
