QuestionsQuestions (EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 163)
EO 163 institutionalizes access to protection services for refugees, stateless persons, and asylum seekers, affirming the State’s obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol, the 1954 Stateless Persons Convention, and the 1961 Reduction of Statelessness Convention—especially ensuring rights to liberty/security and freedom of movement, and access to socioeconomic services, legal assistance, education, employment, and related protections.
An asylum seeker/applicant is a person who has submitted an application or formal written claim to refugee or stateless status; for minors or incapacitated persons, it is the person on whose behalf the application was submitted, whose request has not been finally decided.
Non-refoulement is a customary-law principle that prohibits any state from expelling or returning (refouler) a refugee in any manner to frontiers where life or freedom would be threatened for reasons such as race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Subject to applicable laws, minimum standards include access to socioeconomic services, social security benefits, gainful employment and human working conditions, education, participation in judicial/administrative citizenship proceedings, legal assistance and access to courts, and freedom of religion.
POCs must abide by Philippine laws and regulations, including measures related to public health, and must help maintain public order and national security.
The RSPPU is the DOJ unit tasked with examining and processing claims to refugee or stateless status.
The Chairperson is the Secretary of the Department of Justice.
The Vice-Chairperson is the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The Committee is tasked with the central role of assuring the provision of protection services and assistance to POCs pursuant to the 2017 Inter-Agency Agreement.
Examples include: ensuring policies align with relevant laws and implementing them; improving access to courts, documentation, health/welfare assistance and education/skills/livelihood programs; issuing guidelines and directing agencies to create corresponding regulations/programs; establishing integrated coordination/referral systems and enhancing the POC database (with data protection/confidentiality safeguards); coordinating with agencies to identify focal units; cooperating with UNHCR or relevant bodies; conducting trainings and awareness campaigns; creating technical working groups for specific concerns.
Section 5 provides that the Committee will continue coordinating with the Judiciary to ensure POCs have access to courts and swift administration of justice, consistent with relevant international laws.
LGUs are encouraged to support integration by conducting information/awareness campaigns and making available necessary programs and services, including inclusion in local development frameworks, and emergency response/recovery frameworks.
It mandates that information acquired must remain confidential; the refugee/asylum procedures must respect confidentiality of requests/claims at all stages, including the fact that a request or claim was made—subject to rules to be issued and/or where national security interests require otherwise.
Initial implementation funds are charged against the respective budgets of concerned agencies; succeeding years’ funding must be included in their regular appropriations through the budget process, and DBM must ensure the annual National Expenditure Program includes initiatives for POC protection.
It takes effect immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.