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70 Phil. L.J. 187 (1995-1996)
The Practice of Refugee Law in the Philippines

handle is hein.journals/philplj70 and id is 191 raw text is: THE PRACTICE OF REFUGEE LAW IN THE PHILIPPINES* Sedfrey M. Candelaria I. INTRODUCTION This paper discusses the situation of refugees and asylum-seekers in the Philippines and their rights under international law, addressing in particular the following subjects: a) the attitude of the Philippine Government concerning the protection of refugees; b) existing domestic laws and regulations affecting refugees; and, c) suggested strategies to implement the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. II. CONSTITUTIONAL POLICY ON TREATY OBLIGATIONS The Philippines signed the Instrument of Accession to the 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol on June 26, 1981. Subsequently, the Convention entered into force for the Philippines on October 20, 1981, while the Protocol entered into force on July 22, 1981. To date there has been no comprehensive implementing legislation pursuant to our commitment under the 1951 Convention. It has been observed by Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn in his 1992 study on The Status of Refugees in Asia that: *The author is grateful to Raquel Constantino and Generose Mislang of the Ateneo Human Rights Center for their assistance in the preparation of this paper. He also wishes to acknowledge the contribution of Ms. Rhoda Yabes and Mr. Ferdinand Jose to the development of some portions of this study based on their previous researches. Finally, the ideas expressed in this work are the author's own and do not reflect the positions of the institutions to which he is affiliated. Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Ateneo School of Law; Executive Director, Ateneo Human Rights Center.