Philippine commitment to welcome Ukrainians fleeing war commended
MANILA, Philippines (Corrected 8:50 a.m., March 7) — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees lauded the readiness of the Philippine government to accept Ukrainians fleeing the war.
"UNHCR commends the Philippine Government, through Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, for its swift expression of willingness to accept people forced to flee from Ukraine due to ongoing emergency," the UN Refugee Agency said in a statement.
UNHCR Philippines Head of National Office Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo said, in the same statement, that the Philippines has proven again that “it is a leader in the region when it comes to ensuring the inclusion of refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons and those at risk of statelessness in Government programs and services, especially during these challenging times.”
Guevarra on Thursday said Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion are welcome to the Philippines.
Although, to date, no request for asylum has been filed, the DOJ secretary assured the public that the applicants "will be evaluated in accordance with our laws and recently signed executive order."
This comes after President Rodrigo Duterte signed on February 28 Executive Order that also created the Inter-Agency Committee on the Protection of Refugees, Stateless Persons and Asylum Seekers, where the justice secretary sits as chairperson.
The committee is tasked to ensure that policies on the protection of persons of concern are fully implemented and that they are given access to courts, documentation and other assistance.
The panel is also tasked to "cooperate with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees or any other relevant international body in effectively implementing the Conventions, and in providing for the protection of refugees."
'Long tradition of humanitarian assistance'
The UNHCR said that the order “reaffirms the Philippines’ long tradition of humanitarian assistance for refugees and stateless persons, and contributes to the fulfillment of the country’s obligations.”
Among these are being as a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, its 1967 Protocol and both the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions. The Philippines also made a pledge during the Global Refugee Forum and the High-Level Segment on Statelessness, the UN body said.
The Philippines was also one of the signatories of the UN General Assembly resolution calling for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
The UNHCR also said that while no Ukrainian has yet to seek asylum in the Philippines, the country “has served as a safe haven for nine waves of refugees in the past, including the Vietnamese boat people who fled the Vietnam War, and Jews escaping the Holocaust during World War III.”
It added that the Philippines also previously expressed willingness to give refuge to the displaced, including Rohingya and Afghans fleeing the crisis in August 2021. — Kristine Joy Patag
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Editor's note: This article has been corrected to reflect that the statement came from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and not the UN Human Rights Council as previously reported. We apologize for the error.
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