MANILA: The Philippines will temporarily host a limited number of Afghan asylum seekers while they are processed for resettlement in the United States, officials from both Manila and Washington announced on Tuesday.
The specifics of the timeline for this program are still under discussion, with both governments indicating that only a small group of visa applicants will be accommodated, though exact numbers have not been disclosed.
The program, intended to assist potentially thousands of Afghan Muslims seeking asylum, faced domestic opposition in the Philippines when first proposed last year, due to security and other concerns in the predominantly Catholic nation.
Jose Manuel Romualdez, the Philippines’ ambassador to the US, mentioned previously that around 50,000 visa seekers are in this category, including families of individuals who had supported the US-backed Afghan government prior to its fall to the Taliban.
Under the agreement, the applicants will be accommodated at a facility managed by the US State Department’s Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts. A Philippine foreign department spokesperson noted that each applicant must first obtain a Philippine visa and undergo medical screening in Afghanistan.
Applicants will be allowed to stay in the Philippines for up to 59 days and will be restricted to their designated facility, except for embassy consular interviews.
The US will cover all necessary services during their stay, including food, housing, security, medical care, and transportation.
Following the chaotic evacuation of August 2021, tens of thousands of Afghans fled as US and allied forces withdrew from Afghanistan. Many who had worked with the ousted Western-backed government are now in the US under a special immigrant visa program, while others remain in third countries waiting for their visas to be processed.
The Taliban has stated that they will not harm those who collaborated with Western powers or the former government and have encouraged those who left to return and assist in rebuilding the country.
