Sen. Robin Padilla during the Senate's plenary debates Wednesday, November 9, 2022 on the proposed 2023 budget. Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB
MANILA — Sen. Robin Padilla on Thursday called on the government to pay attention to the "stateless" Filipinos deported from Sabah and are now staying in Tawi-Tawi and Sulu.
During the Senate's plenary deliberation on the proposed 2023 budget, Padilla asked what the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is doing to help the deportees, some of whom are not even sure if they are Filipinos or Malaysians since they grew up in Sabah believing it is a part of the Philippines.
"Noong 2013, pagkatapos ng gulo at malaking giyera sa Lahad Datu, napakaraming mga matatawag nating deported na stateless... Nang nagkaroon ng gulo, sila ay dineport. Ngayon, di po nila alam kung Pilipino ba sila o Malaysian. Sila ay kawawang kawawa diyan sa lugar ng Tawi Tawi at Sulu," Padilla said.
"Hindi po nila alam kung sila ba ay Pilipino o Malaysian... Dahil matagal na panahon sila nakatira sa Sabah, ang alam nila, ang Sabah nasa Pilipinas," he added.
The Lahad Datu standoff in 2013 stemmed from the incursion of a group claiming to represent the Sultanate of Sulu, which claims Sabah from Malaysia. The Sulu Sultanate won its case before the Madrid High Court in 2020, and the victory was affirmed by the French Arbitration Court in 2022. The French court also ordered Malaysia to pay the Sultanate's heirs $14.9 billion.
Senate Finance panel chairman Sen. Sonny Angara said the Department of Justice is ready to help those who were deported in applying for Philippine residency or citizenship, with the help of the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Angara added that there had been special missions involving on-site civil registration activities in 2019.
Padilla said his office is ready to do assist government agencies in addressing the issue. He particularly called for coordination on the matter between the BI and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
"Ang hiling ko lang po, magkaroon po sana ng mabilis na pagtugon dito, magkaroon ng usapan ang BI at DSWD na harapin po itong problemang ito. At ako po ay handang sumama sa kanila. At ang aking opisina ay handang sumama sa inyo at puntahan natin ang kababayan natin," he said
Padilla also urged the Department of Foreign Affairs to discuss the matter with Malaysia to help the "stateless" ones who were deported.
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