The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), an attached agency of the Department of Justice (DOJ), will continue providing legal assistance to refuges, asylum seekers and displaced individuals.
PAO Chief Persida V. Rueda Acosta said the agency has renewed its agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR).
“We are fortunate that the Philippines has a long tradition of opening its doors and extending its kindness to people seeking refuge,” Acosta said.
She said that President Duterte has announced to the global community his policy to accept everyone fleeing for safety as she noted that in recent years “the international community is faced with a surge of people fleeing their countries due to war, persecution, and other atrocities.”
“It is said that solidarity and cooperation among nations is the key to bring these people to safety and ensure their protection, but such is easier than done,” she pointed out.
PAO signed its first memorandum of agreement with the UNHCR in 2013 and since then it has provided over 5,000 services, both judicial and quasi-judicial – in civil, labor and administrative cases -- to persons of concern (POCs), she said.
In 2020 at the height of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Acosta said that PAO provided 146 services to POCs.
On the other hand, she noted that the UNHCR was able to provide online training to 12 PAO lawyers on matters involving Refugee Status Determination.
UNHCR Philippines Officer-In-Charge lawyer Lindsey Atienza said the continued legal assistance of PAO is “vital in ensuring that persons of concerns will continue to have access to rights and options for durable solutions.”
“UNHCR values the contributions of PAO through the direct assistance provided to persons of concerns as well as the technical expertise that the agency has shared in shaping the policy landscape for the protection for persons of concern in the Philippines,” Atienza said.
“The assistance provided by PAO has been vital in addressing the vulnerabilities of these POC and has provided avenues for these individuals to build better lives in the Philippines,” she added.