7/24/2019 5 Times the Philippines Became a Refugee Camp for Other Nations

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5 times the Philippines became a refugee camp for other nations

Filipinos are known for their kindness and hospitality. The bayanihan  spirit is just one

example of how compassionate Filipinos can be to their fellow men in times of need.

With the recent news of the Philippines’ willingness to take in some   300 Rohingyans

who had fled Myanmar, it seems apt to take a look back on other instances when the

Philippines opened its doors to foreigners in need of refuge and shelter. Despite being

labelled a third world country, the Philippines still serves as a haven for many as Filipinos

welcome these displaced foreigners with open arms.

1. Quezon’s open door policy for ews 

Jewish refugees saved from the Holocaust. Photo courtesy of cnn.com

In the 1930s, during Adolf Hitler’s reign of terror, then-president Manuel L. Quezon

opened the Philippines’ doors to Jewish refugees in Manila. Many countries refused to

keep Jewish refugees for fear of reprisal from the Nazi, and yet the Philippines

welcomed 1,200 Jews who narrowly escaped the Holocaust.

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They were given visas by the Frieder brothers, American Jewish businessmen originally

from Cincinnati, Ohio, to work in their Philippine-based cigarette factory, as well as

housing and schools for their children. President Quezon, for his part, also donated his

own land in Mindanao and Marikina to serve as settlements for the Jewish refugees.

2. Shelter in Tubabao for “White Russians” 

Tubabao reugee camp. Photo courtesy of ibiblio.org

In early 1949, an estimated 6,000 “White Russians” fled from communists in Russia and

then from the Chinese communists in Shanghai with the help of the International

Refugee Organization and sought sanctuary in Tubabao, an island off the southeastern

point of Samar Island.

Gregory Bologoff, who was involved in organizing the White Russians in China into the

Russian Emigrants’ Association, organized the evacuation of the White Russians to a safe

and secure place and appealed to the United Nations, to the International Refugees

Organization (IRO), and to all countries in the free world to save them and give them

asylum.The Philippines , under Pres. Elpidio Quirino, was the only country thatresponded and offered to the refugees the island of Tubabao.

Tubabao turned into what was known as Russian Refugee Camp where electricity, a

hospital, a sanatorium, a supply office, a cemetery and churches of every denomination

were set up.

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3. Bataan Philippine Refugee Processing Center PRPC) 

Remains of PRPC. Photo courtesy of bataan-prpc.blogspot.com

The PRPC was a large facility near Morong, Bataan opened in 1980 where more than

400,000 Indochinese refugees (Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, ethnic Chinese, and some other

minority groups) passed through its gates.

The camp prepared the refugees for immigration to a variety of resettlement nations

such as Canada, Norway, Australia, France, and primarily the United States. During their

stay in the PRPC, the refugees underwent final processing, health screenings, and

studied English and US culture.

Funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees coupled with a largepopulation of Filipino and third-country employees, PRPC operated like a small city with

schools, hospitals, libraries, restaurants, sports facilities, fire brigades, sewage treatment

facilities, power generation facilities, water treatment centers, markets, and places of

worship for four religions

4. Vietnamese Village in Puerto Princesa 

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Remnants of the Vietnamese Village in Palawan. Photo courtesy of

vgsalazar12.wordpress.com

Vietnamese migrants first began arriving in the Philippines after the fall of Saigon, South

Vietnam in 1975. There were 2,000 boat people who arrived in the country who were

given aid and shelter, unlike in other Asian countries where they were shunned,

persecuted, and abused.

The 13-hectare village was built in 1997 on the initiative of the Catholic Bishops

Conference of the Philippines with more than 200 cottages, a restaurant, a chapel, a

pagoda, and a vast playground for children that included a basketball court.

5. The Philippines as a transit point for North Korean defectors 

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 Protests to the Kim Jong-Il regime. Photo courtesy of cnn.com

In 2011, as many as 500 refugees from North Korea travelled through the Ninoy Aquino

International Airport (NAIA) before they heading off to South Korea to flee the Kim

Jong-il regime. Then-South Korean Political Counselor Kwon Sae-young said his

government appreciated the Philippines’ low-key and helpful approach despite the

policy of disallowing the use of NAIA as a transit point.

The Philippines has proven no matter how times may change, bayanihan  will always be a

part of each and every one of its citizens. Filipinos show compassion for their fellow

countrymen, and to other nations as well. Soon, the Philippines will become a haven for

the Rohingyans who have been stranded for months at sea. Read more about it here. 

Banner photo courtesy of brigada.ph. 

- See more at: http://www.thedailypedia.com/2015/05/philippines-as-refugee-

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