A limited number of Afghan nationals will be allowed entry into the Philippines to process their United States visa, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Tuesday, August 20.
DFA said the Philippine and the US governments agreed on allowing Afghan nationals to transit to the Philippines "to complete their visa processing for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) and resettlement to the United States."
But Ma. Teresita Daza, spokesperson for the DFA, said that such an agreement will have to be ratified by President Marcos before it becomes effective.
Under the agreement, each Afghan SIV applicant shall be authorized to stay in the Philippines for not more than 59 days.
All of them will be subject to full security vetting by Philippine authorities and should secure appropriate entry visa prior to arrival, in accordance with the country's laws and regulations, Daza said.
"Notwithstanding the possession of a Philippine visa, the Bureau of Immigration retains full authority to exclude any applicant from entry into the Philippines as a result of the standard immigration examination upon arrival in the country," she added.
In June 2023, the DFA first confirmed the start of the talks to allow Afghan national to enter the country.
Daza said that while the proposed arrangement is humanitarian in nature, "it will not involve the admission or hosting of Afghan refugees."
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez, who first received the request from Washington, said that the request would only be for Afghan nationals who worked for the US government and their families as they were trying to escape from the ruling of the Taliban.
As the news developed, Senator Imee Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, aired her concern over such a move.
"During the past year, security and espionage threats have substantially increased because of the sharp escalation in tension between rival superpowers," she said.
"We need to know the real nature of the agreement between the Philippines and the United States and the course of action the executive branch plans to take," Marcos added.
DFA clarified that it will be the US government that will support the necessary services for Afghan nationals who will temporarily stay in the Philippines, including their food, housing, security, medical and transportation to complete visa processing.
According to the US Embassy in Manila, the US government will facilitate the visa processing for a limited number of Afghan SIV applicants.
They will temporarily reside at a Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE)-operated facility in the country, the embassy said.
They will also be medically screened in Afghanistan before being allowed entry into the Philippines. Once in the country, they can only leave their billet facility once for their consular interview at the US Embassy in Manila, the DFA added.
“For operational security purposes, we will not comment on the capacity of the platform or how many guests are in the Philippines at any given time,” the embassy said amid questions about how many Afghan nationals will be accommodated in the country.
The DFA said that the agreement is currently undergoing the final domestic procedures required for effectivity.