A Filipino legacy of humanitarian compassion

We were pleased that Senator Imee Marcos called for a Senate inquiry last Friday (1:00 a.m. Washington, DC time) to shed light on the proposed temporary housing in the Philippines of Afghan nationals applying for a US special immigrant visa (SIV). As Senate foreign relations committee chairperson, Senator Marcos was extremely helpful in bringing out all the concerns we may have on this very important issue.

There is no doubt that such a request from an important ally should be thoroughly vetted so that all issues and concerns would be studied, with the pros and cons carefully weighed and considered.

The Senate inquiry gave us an opportunity to provide details regarding the request that was made by the United States in October last year via a “concept note” outlining the proposal for the Philippines to temporarily host Afghan nationals – specifically those who were formerly employed by the US government and their qualified dependents – while they wait for their SIV applications to be processed by the US embassy in Manila.

As was explained during the Senate foreign relations committee hearing last Friday, the proposal was then cascaded by the Department of Foreign Affairs – acting as the lead agency – to relevant government agencies such as the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines for their comments and inputs, with representatives from more agencies also added as the discussions went underway.

There is absolutely nothing “secret” about the proposal since different agencies involved in assessing the security implications of the proposal would be consulted. Precisely, intelligence and security agencies such as the National Bureau of Investigation, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and others were invited in reviewing the process to assess the background of the Afghan nationals who will be applying for the SIV and provide their important evaluation on the risk of infiltration by extremist and terrorist groups.

The United States has made it clear: the Afghan nationals applying for the SIV will only be housed in the Philippines on a temporary basis, with all costs of the entire process to be shouldered by the US government.

The Afghan nationals are not refugees, although the nature of the request in many people’s view is humanitarian in nature because these are individuals whose lives and that of their loved ones could be in peril because they worked for the US government before the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan.

Just to put it in the right perspective, the US request is based on two points that need to be highlighted. One, the US looks at the Philippines as an ally and friend, and two, we have in the past showed compassion for people in need, with history demonstrating that we have a strong humanitarian tradition of providing relief for displaced individuals.

This became very evident in 1934 when President Manuel L. Quezon allowed Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis to come to the Philippines, providing a safe haven for a persecuted race at a time when many countries turned their backs and shut their doors. Despite strong criticism, President Quezon issued Proclamation No. 173 on Aug. 21, 1937 known as the “Open Door Policy” that saved at least 1,300 European Jews.

It is no surprise therefore that there are monuments in Israel, such as the Open Doors monument in Rishon Lezion’s Holocaust Memorial Park, that stand as a symbol of friendship between Filipinos and the Jewish people. The Open Doors monument also serves as a reminder of President Quezon’s act of compassion that happened decades ago, and yet continues to resonate strongly to this day.

I have personally experienced the impact of this shared history with the American-Jewish community in Washington, DC that are frequently in touch with us. The members tell me they look at the Philippines and Filipinos with deep affection because of what President Quezon did for them during a dark period in their history, at a time when they needed friends the most.

Another well-known act of humanitarian compassion involved the Vietnamese refugees – known as the “boat people” – who were displaced during the Vietnam War. Thousands of Vietnamese rode in small boats, many of them dying along the way. One of the countries that granted them asylum on the basis of humanitarian grounds was the Philippines under then President Marcos Sr.

“Granting temporary asylum meant that the government took on the responsibility of protecting refugees,” wrote refugee historian Ria Sunga in “Exploring the foundations of Philippine refugee policy towards Vietnamese refugees,” adding that the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, “noted that the government upheld the principle of non-refoulement – no refugees were turned away or repatriated back to Vietnam.”

When I was in California before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, two Vietnamese businessmen approached me to express their gratitude. As it turned out, they were among a batch of Vietnamese “boat people” who landed in the Philippines. They eventually ended up in the United States where they are doing extremely well, with their businesses flourishing.

Like Senator Francis Tolentino, many of us believe that this US request for the temporary stay of Afghan citizens in the country while their SIVs are being processed is humanitarian in nature because potentially, these people and their families may be in danger if they remain in Afghanistan.

Like most Filipinos, I take pride in the legacy of humanitarian compassion that we have demonstrated many times in the past – opening our doors to those in need not only because it is the right thing to do but more importantly – it is morally correct.

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