MALACAÑANG has declared June 20 of every year as “National Refugee Day” as it recognized the urgency of protecting and upholding the rights of refugees, stateless persons, and asylum seekers, and the need to increase awareness and recognition of their welfare, needs, and vulnerabilities.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, in signing Presidential Proclamation No. 265 on June 20, said the Philippines has a longstanding humanitarian tradition of opening its arms to those who seek safety, and promoting an environment suitable for people forced to flee their countries of origin, stateless persons, and populations at risk of statelessness.
He also said the Philippines is one of the few countries which agreed to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 protocol, the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.
“With more than 100 million people forced to flee globally, and with an estimated 264,000 persons of concern currently hosted by the Philippines, the government recognizes the necessity for a national observance of the ‘World Refugee Day’ to protect and uphold the rights of refugees, stateless persons, and asylum seekers, and increase awareness and recognition of their welfare, needs, and vulnerabilities,” it added.
The United Nations in 2001 designated June 20 as “World Refugee Day” to honor those who fled their home countries. — Jocelyn Montemayor
