Philippines, US reach deal for Afghan refugees’ Manila transit 

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the US State Department, in separate statements, announced early Tuesday, August 20, that Manila has agreed to temporarily host Afghan refugees who fled after Washington’s exit from the central Asian country.  

“The Philippines and the United States have agreed on allowing a limited number of Afghan nationals to transit to the Philippines to complete their visa processing for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) and resettlement to the United States,” said the DFA in a statement. 

According to both departments, the US government will provide “necessary services for those Afghans temporarily in the Philippines, including food, housing, security, medical, and transportation to complete visa processing.” 

According to the Washington Post, the agreement is part of the Biden administration’s Operation Enduring Welcome, or its plan to “resettle Afghan allies.” Citing US officials speaking on condition of anonymity, the Post said the Philippines will process “about 300 Afghans for resettlement as they await approval of special immigrant visas and resettlement in the United States.”

The same officials, speaking to the Post, said the “program could be extended and possibly expanded after the initial few hundred Afghans.”

Afghans who will arrive in the Philippines, said the Post, “have undergone vetting and received initial approval from US officials.” A “soccer field” has also been reportedly cleared ahead of the Afghan refugees’ arrival.

While the DFA has yet to make other details of the agreement public, Philippine Ambassador to the US Babe Romualdez earlier confirmed that the US request covers Afghan citizens who helped the US during and in the aftermath of its controversial invasion of Afghanistan. After over two decades of war, the US pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, leading to the rapid return of the Taliban to power.

“The United States appreciates its long and positive history of bilateral cooperation with the Philippines and thanks the Philippine government for supporting Afghan allies of the United States,” said the State Department. 

The DFA, meanwhile, said the agreement “is currently undergoing the final domestic procedures required for effectivity.” 

The announcement comes more than a year after the Americans’ request to Manila was made public, including a Senate probe led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s older sister, Senator Imee Marcos. 

Romualdez earlier said that the US lodged the request for Manila to take in Afghans waiting for their SIVs back in October 2022. Romualdez is a cousin of the President and Senator Marcos. 

President Marcos in 2023 admitted there were “many security issues” in the US request, even as he emphasized the Philippines’ “long tradition” of accepting refugees. Marcos also said then that even during negotiations, the number of Afghans that the Philippines would take in temporarily would not exceed 1,000. – Rappler.com