Philippine affirms aid to refugees, stateless persons

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government has affirmed its commitment to provide support and aid to refugees and stateless persons as it launched the country’s first National Refugee Day that will be celebrated nationwide on June 20.

The move comes after Presidential Proclamation 265 from 2023 declared June 20 every year as National Refugee Day and requires all government bodies, government-owned and -controlled corporations, state universities, local government units, non-government organizations and the private sector to join the celebration.

The first National Refugee Day will highlight the country’s “solemn commitment to accord humanitarian efforts and provide a protected and conducive environment for refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons, stateless applications and persons at risk of statelessness,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“We Filipinos are renowned for our hospitality and historically, we have extended this especially to vulnerable individuals in need of safety from war and persecution,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in his speech read for him by DOJ Undersecretary Raul Vasquez.

“Through the very first commemoration of National Refugee Day, the Philippines sends a strong message of our commitment to our long humanitarian legacy of opening our doors and providing support to people who have crossed international borders to seek protection,” Remulla added.

The government is also eyeing greater economic inclusion and better legal framework for refugees, stateless persons and other vulnerable groups.

Meanwhile, Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin Chan, head of the DOJ’s Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Unit, noted that there are about 1,000 recognized refugees in the Philippines and about the same number of pending applications.

Chan said these refugees are of diverse nationalities, but mostly from Middle East and African countries, majority of whom are seeking asylum in the Philippines to avoid persecution in their home countries.

As to the refugees who have become Filipino citizens, he noted there are fewer than 10 who have undergone naturalization.

Judge Maria Josefina San Juan-Torres also threw her support behind National Refugee Day, noting that judges are trained to handle naturalization cases more efficiently, crediting a 2022 Supreme Court (SC) ruling.

That year, the SC approved the rule that would simplify, reduce legal and procedural hurdles and facilitate the naturalization as Filipino citizens of refugees and stateless persons.

The rule now allows electronic publication of the petition filed by refugees and stateless persons.

As a signatory to key international conventions, the Philippines vows protection to those fleeing violence and persecution.