INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker on Wednesday called on the government to expedite the requests for working visas of Palestinians that are currently in the country.
In the House panel on appropriations’ hearing on the 2025 proposed budget of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong said that many Palestinians that are currently in the country asked him if the government can grant their request for a working visa. He also noted that most of them are professionals who want to be deployed in the workforce.
“Ayaw po nilang umasa sa ayuda (They don’t want to rely on dole out). So they’ve asked me if we can facilitate their request for a working visa so that they can also be productive in this country,” he said, adding that most of these Palestinian asking for working visas are professionals.
He also said that there are many organizations that are willing to hire and accept Palestinians that are married to Filipinos.
“There are organizations ready and willing to hire Palestinians who are married to Filipinas… They’re actually ready to hire Palestinians kasi mga professors ito, mga civil engineer, and then married to a Filipina and they just couldn’t simply work,” he noted.
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This came after the lawmaker asked how many Palestinians applied for refugee status in the country. DOJ Chief State Counsel Dennis Chan said that there are currently 44 refugee applications.
“[There are] 44 applications of Palestinians who are married to Filipinos or Filipinas… While their applications are pending, we make endorsements to the corresponding agencies if they require for financial assistance, we make endorsement to the DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development]. If they need special working permit, we make endorsement to the BI [Bureau of Immigration],” he added.
Further, Chan noted that the requests for a working visa will be granted if they find an employer first.
“But as to those who want to secure a working visa, they would have to first find an employer that will act as their sponsor but rest assured that once those papers have been submitted and completed then they would be issued the corresponding 9g working visa,” Chan added.
According to the BI, a 9g working visa is “applied and processed in the Philippines by the Philippine-based employer despite the absence in the country of the applicant foreign national.”
Adiong then asked for the commitment of the DOJ officials in the hearing in granting the request for working visas.
“Our office will do everything possible to expeditiously act on request for endorsement or any forms of assistance that these refugee applicants may be needing and we are always open to be coordinating with your office,” Chan replied.
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Adiong then said that their office is ready to coordinate with the DOJ “to ensure that they can have dignity of work available for Palestinians whose families are Filipinos.”
Justice Secretary Remulla also vowed to extend help in granting the lawmaker’s request.
“Ang hinihingi lang po namin ay yung isang referral letter niyo, isang referral letter to the state counsel and then copy furnished lang po yung office of the secretary so that we know that things are moving already. Imomonitor po namin,” Remulla said.
(What we will ask from you is a referral letter, a referral letter to the state counsel and then a copy furnished to the Office of the Secretary so that we know that things are moving already. We will monitor.)
According to the United Nations, the relentless attacks of Israel have killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip since October 2023. Many people went missing under the rubble while many infrastructures including schools were left destroyed.
In May, the UN said that Israel’s bombardment of the southern Gaza city of Rafah forced a total of 800,000 people to flee.