Acting Chief Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando Attends Ribbon Untying Ceremony of the Senate’s Photo Exhibition on Refugee Protection, Addressing Statelessness and Internal Displacement
March 14, 2024
Special Committee on the Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals, attends the Ribbon Untying Ceremony of the Photo Exhibition on Refugee Protection, Addressing Statelessness and Internal Displacement on March 13, 2024 at the Senate of the Philippines, Pasay City. Joining him are (from left) Interior and Local Government Assistant Secretary for International Relations Assistant Secretary Lilian De Leon; Office of Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda Chief of Staff Sheree Mangunay; Senate Secretary Atty. Renato N. Bantug Jr.; UNHCR Philippines Head of National Office Atty. Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo; Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN in the Philippines Mr. Gustavo González; (back row) Department of Justice Chief State Counsel Dennis Arvin L. Chan; International Organization for Migration Chief of Mission Tristan Burnett; Commission on Human Rights Chief, Center for Crisis, Conflict, and Humanitarian Protection Ms. Reinna Bermudez. (Photo courtesy of the UNHCR; Caption courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
In a remarkable display of solidarity and support for women empowerment and gender equality among the forcibly displaced and stateless persons, Acting Chief Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the Supreme Court’s Special Committee on the Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals, attended the Ribbon Untying Ceremony of the Photo Exhibition on Refugee Protection, Addressing Statelessness and Internal Displacement, which was held on March 13, 2024 at the Senate of the Philippines, Pasay City.
The exhibit, entitled Resilient Spirits: Capturing Courage, Celebrating Strength, Inspiring Inclusion – An Odyssey of Women and Girls in Finding Hope Away from Home, is hosted by Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Philippines, and will run from March 11-22, 2024 in line with International Women’s Day, National Women’s Month, and UNHCR’s Hope Away from Home Campaign.
The interactive exhibit seeks to highlight the gendered dimension of forced displacement and statelessness and how intersectionality plays a crucial role in providing protection and long-term solutions for the forcibly displaced, stateless persons, and populations at risk of statelessness. It also features A.M. No. 21-07-22-SC or the landmark Rule on Facilitated Naturalization of Refugees and Stateless Persons, the first of its kind at the global level. To date, the naturalization petition of a refugee has been approved under the Rule, with several refugees expressing great interest to become Filipino citizens through this procedure.
Acting Chief Justice Hernando expressed the judiciary’s unwavering dedication to championing the rights and dignity of women, not only within the context of forced displacement but also in all spheres of society. He likewise underscored the ongoing commitment of the Supreme Court to uphold the rights of refugees and stateless persons through the said Rule, which will notably celebrate its second anniversary since its formal launch on March 25, 2022. (Courtesy of the Office of Acting Chief Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando)
Acting Chief Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando converses with Senator Loren B. Legarda at the Ribbon Untying Ceremony of the Photo Exhibition on Refugee Protection, Addressing Statelessness and Internal Displacement on March 13, 2024 at the Senate of the Philippines, Pasay City. (Photo courtesy of the UNHCR; Caption courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Acting Chief Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando (right) exchanges pleasantries with Senate Secretary Atty. Renato N. Bantug Jr. (left) at the Ribbon Untying Ceremony of the Photo Exhibition on Refugee Protection, Addressing Statelessness and Internal Displacement on March 13, 2024 at the Senate of the Philippines, Pasay City. Also in the photo are UNHCR Philippines Head of National Office Atty. Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo and Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN in the Philippines Mr. Gustavo González. (Photo courtesy of the UNHCR; Caption courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)
Acting Chief Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando (right) meets with Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN in the Philippines Mr. Gustavo González at the Ribbon Untying Ceremony of the Photo Exhibition on Refugee Protection, Addressing Statelessness and Internal Displacement on March 13, 2024 at the Senate of the Philippines, Pasay City. Joining them is UNHCR Philippines Head of National Office Atty. Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo. (Photo courtesy of the UNHCR; Caption courtesy of the Supreme Court Public Information Office)