S'pore, RP leaders meet to normalize ties ofter hanging

S'pore, RP leaders meet to normalize ties ofter hanging

MANILA (AFP): The Singaporean and Philippine leaders met here
yesterday in an attempt to revive bilateral ties darkened for two
years by the hanging of a Filipina maid.

"I'm here to make up for lost time," Singapore Prime Minister
Goh Chok Tong told a joint news conference with President Fidel
Ramos, referring to the execution of the maid which ignited
nationwide anger and a freeze on Singaporean investment in the
Philippines.

Flor Contemplacion was sent to the gallows on March 17, 1995
for the killings of a fellow Filipina and a Singaporean boy.

There were huge protests in the Philippines in which
Singaporean flags were set on fire.

There were protests by left-wing groups against Goh's visit.

Ramos said the Philippines was "highly pleased that, over
these past months, we have not only mended the tear in the fabric
of our friendship -- we have also nurtured a new climate of
mutual trust between our two countries. "

Goh's three-day official visit "signifies a new climate of
mutual confidence in our bilateral relations. We can look forward
to a more dynamic partnership with Singapore," Ramos said.

The two leaders discussed setting up a bilateral "action plan"
which Ramos said would serve as a blueprint for cooperation in
economic and diplomatic affairs. It will be reviewed after six
months.

They also discussed, and reaffirmed a decision to vote for the
admission of Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos into the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next month. ASEAN currently
groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of several agreements
involving a private joint venture steel mill, the setting up of a
S$3.4 million funded polytechnic, and a joint study on an urban
renewal strategy for Manila Bay.

Goh said Singapore, one of the largest employers of overseas
Filipino workers and the Philippines' third largest trading
partner, would ensure that Filipino workers are treated "fairly"
and said his government would "move quickly to address" similar
"isolated" incidents in the future.

Ramos said that following the Flor Contemplacion case, the two
countries were now observing mutually agreed mechanisms on cases
involving Filipino workers in the city-state.

Bilateral trade between Singapore and the Philippines rose 21
percent from a year earlier to US$3.72 billion, according to
Singapore's trade ministry. Singapore investments exceeded US$480
million at the end of 1996.

Goh said he sensed there was now "a spring in the step of the
Filipinos" having achieved modest economic growth during the five
years of Ramos rule, and said that this new-found confidence was
"very important" in the decision-making of foreign investors.

"The Filipino people want to make up for lost time. They've
lost many years and they know that if they lose the opportunity
again, then go down to the dumps in the next five years, it will
be very difficult for the country to go up again."

"You now have come up from the bottom. You're making very good
progress," he said. "I don't think Filipinos would want to throw
away that growth."

Ramos, for his part said foreign investors could rest assured
that the reforms under his administration would endure even after
he ends his term next year.

"The policy environment is there, embedded in the law. No
president can change it," he added.

Ramos will today accompany Goh to the former U.S. Clark air
base north of Manila which has been turned into an economic zone.
Goh is to leave late today.