Philippines continuing rich legacy of helping refugees

In his recent speech before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), President Rodrigo Duterte announced to a global community what he has been saying to a national audience — that the Philippines is ready to accept Rohingya refugees. Since 2012, the Rohingya have been the target of numerous atrocities, and some 1.3 million of them have fled from the Rakhine State in Myanmar, a predominantly Hindu country, to neighboring Bangladesh, which is mostly Muslim.

The policy of welcoming refugees is noteworthy for two reasons. First, it seems incongruent with how the international media portray President Duterte, who is often criticized for having autocratic tendencies and for his war on illicit drugs. He is lumped together with other so-called strongmen even though they behave differently toward refugees and stateless persons. In fact, the typical policy they follow is to close off their borders to such people.