Teodoro: Government studying hosting of Afghan refugees

by Alexis RomeRo Philstar.com

MANILA — The U.S. government’s request for the Philippines to temporarily host 50,000 former Afghan employees and their families has not reached President Marcos yet and is still being studied by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the defense department said on Monday, June 26.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said while the government would study all the implications of the request, it has to determine first whether it is allowed under the law, particularly the Immigration Act.

“This issue has not reached him (Marcos) yet because we are still studying it. We are still waiting for the opinion of the DOJ on whether it is legal because if it is not allowed under the law of the republic, what else will we talk about?”

Teodoro told reporters after the celebration of the 160th anniversary of the Philippine Forestry Service in Quezon City.

He said no specific timeframe has been set for the DOJ to finish its opinion on the matter.

“As soon as possible, but there is a need to scrutinize all issues,” the defense chief said in Filipino.

Teodoro said officials have not looked into the security aspects of the issue, reiterating that there is nothing to discuss if the request is not permitted under the law.

“We have not gone that far. With regard to claims that there is an agreement already, we are not yet there,” he said. “All our actions should have a legal basis.”

Earlier this month, Sen. Imee Marcos, sister of the president, questioned why the U.S. wanted to house the Afghans in the Philippines instead of the American mainland or countries closer to Afghanistan.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Afghans are not refugees but people “who have worked with the U.S. government and their qualified members.”

The Afghans worked for the American government before the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021 and are in the final stage

Gun culture

In Cebu last week, police armed with a court warrant raided the home of the barangay captain of Baclayan in Boljoon town, and arrested Elderson Han Baldezamo Mabalatan on gun charges. The police reported confiscating from the village chief two .45-caliber pistols and a hand grenade.

Earlier on March 20, another village chairman who is president of the local association of barangay captains, Angelito de Mesa of Barangay Masaya in Bay, Laguna, was arrested following a police search of his home. The raiders reported seizing an M16 rifle equipped with a silencer and telescope, a 9mm machine pistol, ammunition and magazines for the guns.

The country has tough laws against illegal gun possession, with stiff penalties as provided under Republic Act 10591, the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act passed in 2013. Yet loose firearms continue to proliferate, promoting deadly violence that has marred politics and elections.

In this part of Asia, the Philippines has the second highest intentional homicide rate, ranking only behind Myanmar. Apart from thousands of drug suspects killed in the previous administration, the country has a long string of murders targeting activists, journalists and legal professionals. Every electoral exercise in this country is marked

Babe’s Eye View

BaBe Romualdez

“BY preserving the Philippines’ diplomatic relationship with China, while strengthening ties with the United States and regional allies, Marcos Jr. is performing a delicate balancing act.” by lethal violence, with candidates seeing murder as the ultimate tool for eliminating political rivals. The massacre of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and nine others at his home has been linked to his family’s feud with the rival Teves clan. Deadly violence is employed even in races for the smallest unit of government, the barangay.

This was how Tokyo University of Foreign Studies lecturer Jenny Balboa described the foreign policy of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in her article titled, “Marcos Jr.’s delicate balancing act between China and the United States” published last April at the East Asia Forum, an Australia-based international policy forum centered on the Asia Pacific region.

With the elections for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan set this October, the Philippine National Police says it is monitoring at least 49 active and potential private armed groups across the country. Whether the PNP can actually crack down on those groups is another story. Many private armies are maintained by influential politicians who are themselves keepers of large arsenals.

If a barangay captain can have an unlicensed grenade in his possession, think of what higher ranking officials are keeping. The alleged mastermind in Degamo’s murder, Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr., his two sons and his brother, Bayawan town Mayor Pryde

Henry Teves face charges over a cache of guns and explosives found in his property. Arnolfo Teves said the weapons were planted by the raiders. The easy availability of all sorts of guns and even grenades plus the weakness of the criminal