Gordon proposes opening of refugee center
September 9, 2015 | 4:06am
MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Red Cross Chair Richard Gordon has proposed the opening of a refugee center in the country for the thousands of Syrian refugees escaping from the wars within the Middle East.
Gordon said that a refugee center could be opened to process applications of refugees who want to enter Europe.
"We, as a country, must do our share and offer refuge to the families now seeking sanctuary in Europe. We must not turn our backs against migrants and show the world that we carry our load. We can open a refugee center to process these refugees who want to enter Europe," he said.
Gordon’s proposal came as European leaders recognized that the current wave of migration is not a one-time incident but the beginning of a real exodus as thousands of people are forced to turn to smugglers or take dangerous attempts to flee from poverty and persecution in their war-torn countries.
European leaders are scrambling for solutions as armed conflicts in mainly Syria and Iraq send millions of refugees on dangerous voyages through the Balkans and across the Mediterranean to the 28-nation European Union.
"The heart-rending photo of a toddler washed offshore in Turkey presents a graphic picture of an ever worsening humanitarian crisis in Europe. The toddler drowned while the family was fleeing to Europe away from Syria,"he said.
Gordon said that the Philippines has a long history of helping migrants, citing that in the 1940s, the country saved the lives of Jews from the Holocaust in Germany.
In 1923, the Philippines also took in White Russians and Chinese refugees fleeing communism in 1949, and Spanish Republicans in 1939, Gordon said.
He said that the Philippines also took in Indo-Chinese refugees in 1980, adding that the Chinese came here not just to do business, but also to escape persecution and oppression in China.
"If we did it for the Jews and other races, why can’t we do it for other races like the Syrians or for other religions like Muslims who are being persecuted in their own countries?" he said.
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