Adding its voice to what is considered by many as a situation teethering on the edge of a humanitarian crisis, the Philippines has expressed its willingness to take in asylum-seeking members of the Rohingya tribe should they land on its shores.
This pronouncement is essentially a departure from the uniform chorus of ASEAN leaders who have been unrelenting in professing their resistance against harboring members of the Rohingya ethnic tribe from Myanmar and impoverished migrants from Bangladesh, all of whom have been arriving in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia aboard packed rickety boats.
In an interview, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Charles Jose noted that the Philippines has all the intention of keeping its commitment as a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons.
This statement echoes a similar pronouncement by the Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who likewise cited the country's history of hosting refugees as good enough a reason not to drive the boat people away.
Earlier, presidential spokesperson Sonny Coloma earned flak for suggesting that in the absence of travel documents, the so-called boat people cannot be allowed to enter the country. He has since changed his stance after De Lima noted that "asylum-seekers cannot always be expected to prepare travel documents, particularly where the agent of persecution is the State."
But even if made in good faith, it's hard to take comfort in such a display of openness. This is mainly because geographically speaking, it seems highly improbable, if not altogether impossible, for boat people to find their way to the Philippines in their current condition.
To reach the Philippines, the boat people would have to charter a rough naval route that begins in the waters of the Andaman Sea, passing by the countries of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei before reaching the South China Sea. From here, it's a perilous journey before they can land on any of the loose islands dotting the province of Palawan.
Already, many of these boat people have perished while traversing the waters of Andaman Sea. Granted, it's hard to imagine the greater horrors a lengthier route can bring.
More recently, De Lima broached the idea of sending rescue ships to save the lives of the boat people. Nonetheless, she was quick to point out that such a proposal is subject to approval by high-level officials.
Even if supposing such an approval is granted, is the Philippines ready to risk incurring the ire of its Southeast Asian neighbors? Not only will the rescue effort make Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar look awful before the international community, such an act is also likely to backfire at the Philippines' own attempts at soliciting support from the ASEAN nations in forging a unified stance against China's aggressive actions on disputed territories in South China Sea.
In any event, Manila's signification of lending assistance to the boat people currently adrift in the sea has been met with equal measure of raves, particularly by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and rants by disgruntled citizens who feel uncomfortable over the idea that their government is willing to help out foreigners but seems incapable of doing anything to curb widespread poverty in the country.
For what its worth, the Philippines' expression of willingness to lend assistance certainly carves out another angle to the still uncertain, if not increasingly hopeless, plight of the Rohingya boat people.
