The Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez, on Saturday said the plan to accept Afghan refugees was not a secret and had not yet been approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil on Saturday said the June 7 meeting was “part of the Complete Staff Work process to ensure timeliness and high standards in the submission of memoranda requiring presidential decision.”
In a Viber message to the Inquirer, Romualdez said the plan to accommodate the Afghans was “No secret … it’s a US request/proposal that has not yet been approved by the President but is under study and review by the different government agencies.” Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo also “raised concerns” about the US request to grant special immigration visas to the Afghans in several meetings, according to the source who said that the majority of DFA officials, including the Office of Asian and Pacific Affairs, and Office of the Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs, were “strongly against” the “unreasonable request.”
The possibility of housing the Afghans at New Clark City, part of the former US Clark Air Base, would also be explored. “Our constitution requires transparency. Hence, if there is a plan to host Afghan refugees, such a plan must not be kept a secret,” Pimentel said in a Viber message to the Inquirer.
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