MANILA – Senate Majority Leader Francis ‘Tol’ Tolentino and Senator Robinhood Padilla have manifested before the plenary their support to the temporary relocation of a limited number of Afgan refugees in the Philippines while awaiting resettlement to the United States.
Tolentino pointed out the Philippines has historically welcomed refugees, including Jews and Russians during World War II and South Vietnamese during the Vietnam War, demonstrating its commitment to international humanitarian principles and laws.
“As a state party to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the status of refugees and its 1967 protocol, as well as the 1954 UN Convention relating to the status of stateless persons, and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, the Philippines recognizes the importance of providing protections to individuals fleeing persecution, conflict, and violence. These international instruments establish the rights of refugees and responsibilities of nations to protect them,” Tolentino said late Wednesday during the plenary.
“I trust that this decision is in line with our nation’s values of compassion, solidarity, and international cooperation. This representation is in full support of the hosting of the refugees in the Philippines as a compassionate and solidarity-driven initiative.”
Under the agreement, the US government will be providing essential services like food, housing, security, medical care, and transportation to Afghan evacuees temporarily residing in the Philippines.
These services will be offered until their visa processing for the United States is complete.
Meanwhile, Padilla said the aid extended by the Philippines to Afghan refugees is “proof of the compassionate and humane nature of Filipinos.”
“Hindi po ito nakapagtataka sapagkat likas ang magiging mahabagin at matulungin nating mga Pilipino. Sang-ayon din po ito sa naunang polisiya noon ng dating Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Sr. na nagwikang: ‘We are actually a nation composed of many refugees,’ noong inagurasyon po ng Philippine Refugee Processing Centre (PRPC) noong Enero 1980 (This is no surprise because Filipinos are compassionate and helpful by nature. This is also in line with the pronouncement of former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who, during the inauguration of the Philippine Refugee Processing Centre in January 1980, said ‘We are actually a nation composed of many refugees,'” he said.
In 2023, Padilla also supported the opening of Philippine borders for refugees seeking temporary shelter. (PNA)