SC, UNHCR Philippines Hold First-Ever Judiciary Training on the Rule on Facilitated Naturalization of Refugees and Stateless Persons
April 18, 2024
Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Chairperson of the Special Committee on the Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals, encourages the participants of the training on the Rule on Facilitated Naturalization of Refugees and Stateless Persons to familiarize themselves with the Rule and relevant legal frameworks. (Courtesy of UNHCR Philippines)
Exactly two years after the media launch of the Rule on Facilitated Naturalization of Refugees and Stateless Persons, the Supreme Court, through the Special Committee on the Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals and the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA), in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Philippines (UNHCR), held the inaugural training on the Rule on Facilitated Naturalization of Refugees and Stateless Persons on March 25-26, 2024 at the Sheraton Manila Bay Hotel.
The training aimed to enhance the capacity of members of the Judiciary.
Led by resource speakers from the Supreme Court and the Special Committee on the Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals, UNHCR, the Department of Justice – Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Unit (DOJ-RSPPU), the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), and Community and Family Services International (CFSI), the sessions were designed to enhance the capacities of judges to render fair and legally sound judicial decisions in naturalization cases, while taking into account the refugees and stateless persons’ circumstances and vulnerabilities.
Associate Justice Ramon Paul L. Hernando, Chairperson of the Special Committee on the Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals, reminded the 34 judges-participants of the collective responsibility of the members of the Judiciary to “apply the rules with utmost diligence and understanding of its legal foundations.”
According to Justice Hernando, “the Rule exists in an intricate web of international conventions, treaties, and laws, which are all aimed at refugee protection and addressing statelessness. As judges, it is essential that we familiarize ourselves with these legal frameworks and draw upon them in our adjudicative processes…Our decisions hold the power to transform fear into hope, uncertainty into security, and adversity into opportunity.”
Opening the training, (Ret.) Justice Mariano C. Del Castillo, Vice Chancellor of PHILJA, highlighted the displacement of innocent people all over the world and the Philippines’ longstanding tradition of opening its doors to those seeking safety within its borders, and reminded the participants: “When you as judges are able to grant them naturalization, you extend to them the guarantees our Constitution gives to all its citizens. The Rule gives those persons a much-needed new lease in life.”
This was echoed by Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, Vice Chairperson of the Special Committee on the Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals, who deemed the training series as a “significant journey towards enhancing our collective capacity in providing protection to refugees and stateless individuals. Your roles as judges hold immense power to shape the destinies of those who seek refuge within our borders.” (Courtesy of the Special Committee on the Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals)
The Supreme Court, through the Special Committee on Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals, and the Philippine Judicial Academy, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Philippines (UNHCR), teamed up for the first-ever training on the Rule on the Facilitated Naturalization of Refugees and Stateless Persons on March 25-26, 2024 at Sheraton Manila Bay Hotel. (Courtesy of UNHCR Philippines)
A total of 34 judges from Regional Trial Courts in the National Capital Judicial Region and Judicial Regions III, IV, V, and VI participated in this inaugural training aimed at enhancing the capacity of judges to handle naturalization cases of refugees and stateless persons. (Courtesy of UNHCR Philippines)
The two-day training aimed to boost the judges’ capacities in rendering fair and legally sound decisions involving naturalization cases of refugees and stateless persons, taking into account their vulnerabilities and circumstances. (Courtesy of UNHCR Philippines)
UNHCR Head of National Office Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo emphasized the significance of the Rule in strengthening the Philippines’ humanitarian legacy of opening its doors to refugees and stateless persons as she welcomed the judges to the training. (Courtesy of UNHCR Philippines)
In his opening remarks, PHILJA Vice Chancellor Justice Mariano Del Castillo highlighted the role of the Judiciary in providing life-saving assistance and opportunities to refugees and stateless persons. (Courtesy of UNHCR Philippines)
Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, Vice Chairperson of the Special Committee on the Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals, reminded the participants of the training of the power that judges wield in shaping the destinies of refugees and stateless persons who seek safety in the Philippines. (Courtesy of UNHCR Philippines)
Participants of the training learned from resource speakers from the Supreme Court, the Special Committee on Facilitated Naturalization for Refugees and Stateless Individuals, UNHCR, the Department of Justice – Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Unit, the Office of the Solicitor General, and the Community and Family Services International. (Courtesy of UNHCR Philippines)