In an interview with Umagang Kay Ganda (UKG), Roxas described his meeting with the Taiwanese officials as “complicated,” owing to their unrelenting stance in connection with the Philippines' move to deport 14 of its nationals to China.

“They are really angry. They want us to say sorry, it’s one of their requirements. But we can’t do that,” he said.

He noted the discussions started 2:00 p.m. on Monday and ended at around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The Taiwanese officials were headed by Foreign Minister Timothy Yang.

The second round of discussions started around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

“We are still listening to them. We are doing everything for the welfare of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs),” he added.

The actions of the government have started to affect the deployment of OFWs to Taiwan. 

The country does not have a diplomatic channel there. It adheres to the one-China policy, where it recognizes the Beijing government.

Taiwan is considered a renegade province by China.

Besides the 5,000 Filipinos whose contracts have been stalled because of additional requirements, Roxas said there is also an “underlying threat” to 3,000 more whose contracts are about to end.

“For them, it’s all about their national pride. They keep on telling us: What if the same happens to the Philippines, won’t we get mad if our nationals are deported somewhere else,” he said.

He assured the government, however, that he will do everything to iron things out with the Taiwanese.

“The discussions are not yet over. We are trying to avoid that the situation will turn for the worst,” he added.