Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla on Thursday appealed to the government to adopt a less restrictive treatment of refugees and stateless persons, especially those displaced by armed conflict, violence, persecution and insecurity.
Padilla made the appeal in a message of solidarity at the culminating activity of the 10-year implementation of the National Action Plan to End Statelessness in Makati City.
“Sana ang gobyerno namin medyo lumuwag nang kaunti… Sana ganyan din maging mentalidad ng leaders sa bansang ito, hindi tayo puro kwento. Kasi sa sarili nating bayan meron tayong stateless sa Sabah (I hope our own government will be less restrictive in treating refugees and stateless people. I hope our leaders adopt a mentality of walking the talk, because even in our own country we have stateless people in Sabah),” he said.
He lamented many refugees and stateless persons are Muslims, even as he stressed the government can do something to help them.
“Meron tayong siguro ang makakatulong sa atin, nandiyan ang DOJ (We can do something to help. The Department of Justice is there),” he said.
Padilla filed last February Senate Bill 2548 strengthening the Philippine government’s protection for refugees and stateless persons, especially those displaced by armed conflict, violence, persecution and insecurity.
He said the bill seeks to institutionalize the policy in the determination of eligibility for protection of a refugee or a stateless persons by creating a Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Board, which shall be an attached agency of the Department of Justice.
Also, the bill prohibits the State from removing or expelling a refugee, except for grounds of national security or public order, from the Philippines to a country where he/she would be at risk of persecution.
The bill was deliberated upon last September by the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
Before Padilla’s message, Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin Chan stressed the need for continued collaboration to end statelessness.
Atty. Maria Ermina Valdeavilla Gallardo, head of the Philippines Office ng United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), noted there are 4.4 million stateless people worldwide, and stakeholders must face new challenges including the plight of abandoned children of migrant workers.
“It is about restoring humanity, ensuring every child person woman has a chance to say ako ay Pilipino,” she said.
