Senate to hold 'urgent inquiry' on proposed housing of Afghan refugees in PH

The Senate foreign relations committee is set to hold an inquiry on Friday into the supposed request of the United States for the Philippine government to allow the admission and temporary housing of foreign nationals from Afghanistan.

According to the notice provided to the media on Wednesday, the Senate panel was supposed to hold an executive meeting on Friday at 1:00 p.m. following the resolution filed last week by its chairperson, Senator Imee Marcos, which seeks an inquiry into the matter.

But citing the “significance and urgency of the matter,” the Senate panel decided to hold a public hearing instead of an executive meeting.

The notice of hearing was released barely a week after the filing of the resolution.

Citing information from sources, Marcos said in her resolution that the foreign nationals, who are said to be US supporters, will be transported directly into the Philippines from Afghanistan.

Marcos expressed concerns that agreeing to the US request will open the Philippines to “substantial risk” from “individuals who pose a threat to national security and public safety."

Marcos also questioned the supposed non-disclosure of the US request to the public.

Temporary Stay

Earlier in the day, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said there is no secret to the US proposal for the Philippine government to allow the entry and temporary housing of nationals from Afghanistan.

Romualdez, a cousin of Senator Marcos, also clarified that the US proposal “is being studied carefully” and that “all security angles are being reviewed.”

Romualdez explained that under the US request, Afghan nationals, who will be arriving in batches, will be staying temporarily in the country until such time their special immigrant visas are issued.

“They are not going to live here. This is not even a refugee issue, this is a processing issue,” Romualdez said.

Other concerns

Apart from Marcos, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III also questioned the request of the US.

Pimentel said housing the foreigners from Afghanistan was a “good humanitarian act on the part of the Philippines" but added that the question remained as regards the reason behind the US' request.

In an interview with reporters, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, a member of the Senate foreign relations panel, said the Philippines must help the Afghans if they are qualified but he is concerned as to the cost of transporting them into the country.

“Ang only concern ko lang is cost. Ang Afghan nasa Middle East yan tapos dadalhin dito sa atin so, yung gasolina lang papunta dito ay mas mahal. And then number 2, saan ipo-process, we don't know how many people ang pinag-uusapan natin. Saan sila titira, bibigyan ba sila ng Visa, so may mga ganung logistical issues that we need to think about,” he said.

“Baka nga mas mura somewhere around the Middle East dahil hindi na dadalhin dito… Bakit hindi na lang Dubai ang lapit doon. Or anywhere in the Middle East na mas malapit,” he said.

Gatchalian expressed support to any investigation into the matter so the senators can clarify the issue, including the security concerns which were raised.

“Kailangan nating malaman bakit dito gagawin sa Pilipinas? Bakit di magawa sa mas malapit na lugar? I think that’s the fundamental question that we need to answer first,” he said. —VAL, GMA Integrated News