Afghans will not permanently stay in the Philippines should the government approve Washington D.C.’s request to temporarily accept refugees fleeing from a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, a ranking official said Wednesday. Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said the request was made in October 2022 and is for ‘pure processing’ of special immigration visas for Afghans and their families who formerly worked for the US government and ‘whose lives are in danger’. ‘I’m glad Sen. Imee (Marcos) is calling a Senate inquiry on Friday so that all the concerns will be addressed. No Afghans will remain in the country once they are processed for US special immigrant visa,’ he said in a text message. The envoy said the fleeing nationals would be vetted but in the event that they get declined, ‘they will be repatriated back to Afghanistan.’ But the chances of this happening, he clarified, is about ‘.0001 percent’. He also belied accusations that he was lobbying Malacañang to accede to the request. The government is carefully studying the proposal, he added. ‘The US request was made last October and I as the ambassador believe it’s a good humanitarian gesture based on our history with refugees,’ he said. He did not specify what other countries have been tapped, but said the US was ‘asking only allied partners and friends.’ Information being attributed to an ‘anonymous official’ at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had been circulating online, saying the majority of DFA officials, including the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs and the Office of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs are against the SIV request. Asked to confirm, DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza on Wednesday said this is not the official position of the DFA. Kabul fell under the rule of Taliban in August 2021, prompting a chaotic pullout of American forces days before the US completed its withdrawal after a 20-year war in Afghanistan. This left thousands of Afghan nationals who worked at the US mission in Afghanistan behind, many of whom are facing ‘serious threats to their safety,’ non-profit organization USA for UN Refugee Agency said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
