As Palestinians from Gaza face deportation, Lanao del Sur lawmaker offers haven

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Nearly two dozen Palestinians who moved to Manila when the armed conflict in Gaza broke out in 2023 are facing deportation, prompting a lawmaker from Lanao del Sur to offer them refuge in the Muslim-majority Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Lanao del Sur 1st District Representative Zia Alonto Adiong said on Tuesday, April 16, that the Palestinians from Gaza can opt to settle in his province or anywhere in the Bangsamoro region where they can receive assistance if the government allows them to.

Adiong said there were at least 21 Palestinian refugees married to 25 Filipinas with 23 children who sought refuge in Manila when the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas started in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

He said the Palestinians are facing the prospect of being deported by the end of April unless the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) decide on their status and allow them to stay.

Because of their status, the foreigners cannot find work, and they merely rely on donations, Adiong said at the sidelines of the Okir Art Festival.

Adiong said he would meet with DOJ and DFA officials next week to ask about the status of the Palestinians and inform them of his plans to invite the foreigners and their families to resettle in Lanao del Sur or any place in the BARMM.

“Some are even doctors and engineers. They can contribute their knowledge to the development of Lanao del Sur and BARMM,” he noted.

He said Maranaos, who can relate to the predicament of the foreigners because of the 2017 Marawi siege, “would not mind having them” in Lanao del Sur.

Musa Sanguila, chairperson of the nongovernmental organization Pakigdait, welcomed Adiong’s offer, saying it is the religious obligation of Muslims to help fellow Muslims in dire need.

“They are welcome in Lanao del Sur and BARMM just like when the Philippine government welcomed the Vietnamese people at the end of the Vietnam War and Jewish refugees during World War II,” Sanguila said. –Rappler.com