Pimentel puzzled by PH vote vs Rohingya

Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III wants the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to tell him how the Philippines ended up voting against a UN draft resolution that called for Rohingya’s full and unhindered access to humanitarian aid, as he insisted that help should be given to the Muslim minority running to Bangladesh to escape violence from the Myanmar military.

Pimentel said that he would ask the DFA to brief him and his fellow senators.

“Why should Rohingya be denied full access to humanitarian aid. I don’t understand it. We should extend assistance to all human beings in need of help,” Pimentel said in a text message.

Pimentel said that this was his personal opinion from the controversial position taken by the DFA.

“But I will ask [the] DFA to brief us on how and why they came to that conclusion/vote,” the Senate president also said.

As early as September, Pimentel had called for the government to help the Bangladeshi government in addressing the crisis brought about by the Rohingya refugees. Some 380,000 Rohingya refugees had fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar.