The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, confirmed the arrival of the first Afghan refugees in the Philippines.
In a tweet, Locsin said that among the refugees who arrived in the country were children and women. He did not specify the number of refugees but said, “we welcome Afghan nationals…our doors are open to those fleeing, conflict, persecution, sexual abuse and death.”
The Foreign Affairs Secretary added that refugees are now in a safe and orderly place but refused to give details because they are “not interested in publicity.”
Locsin as well ordered the DFA personnel to follow the limited release of information on the arrival of refugees here in the Philippines for the safety and privacy of the said Afghans.
The DFA Secretary had said earlier that the Philippines would only accept refugees on a ‘government-to-government’ basis and would not entertain any requests from NGOs.
“We will not entertain any request for asylum coming from NGOs, however well-meaning or reputable, or any other non-state parties,” he said in a Tweet.