On this page, you will find:

To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Philippines LGBTQI+ Resources page.
For Philippines country of origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents visit our Philippines COI page. 

Refugee protection

Click here to see the numbers and origins of refugees hosted by Philippines. 

The following sections contain information on the most important international treaties and agreements of which Philippines is signatory, as well as national legislation relevant to the protection of refugees.

Philippines has been a state party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol since. The country has also signed the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons in 2011. The country has not yet acceded to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.

The Department Circular No. 58, series of 2012, issued by the Department of Justice lays down the refugee and stateless status determination procedure in Philippines.

Legal aid organisations

Website
Facebook
 Twitter
Address: 2/F Torres Building, 2442 Park Avenue, Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines / MCC PO Box 2733, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel: +63 25 56 16 18 or +63 25 56 27 35 or +63 25 56 48 64 or +63 25 51 19 77
Fax: +63 25 51 22 25
Contact Person: Vladimir Arcilla Hernandez, Director for Philippines Programmes
Email: vhernandez@cfsi.ph
Email: headquarters@cfsi.ph

CFSI’s Urban Refugee Projects is in collaboration with UNHCR which funds CFSI to provide counselling and legal assistance; ensure access to basic services such as education, health care, and social services; and promote greater cooperative effort to the benefit of refugees.

Recognizing the need to complement these services, CFSI is trying to raise money from other sources for computer skills training, livelihood projects, job placement, and other services that will increase the prospects, over time, of refugee self-reliance.

Community and Family Services International is a member of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network.

Organisations providing other support to refugees

Website
Address: 5/F Builders Centre Building, 170 Salcedo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City 1229
Contact Person: Rosario Olivas Gallo, President and Chief Executive Officer
Email: cswasia@gmail.com

Christian Solidarity Worldwide – Southeast Asia (CSW-SEA) is newly-established in the Philippines. It is an international human rights advocacy organisation that serves as a voice for justice on behalf of the persecuted and oppressed.

CSW-SEA has three major activities: pray – to raise awareness and involve the community, protest – petitions, statements of concern to governments, provide – support and encouragement to the oppressed.

Their activities include urgent actions for prayer, letter-writing and assembly; petitions to ASEAN, UN, governments; postcard advocacy campaigns; letters, press release, statements of concern; meetings with leaders of ASEAN, governments, international organisations.

They provide solidarity visits; letters of encouragement; emergency aid (food, medicine).

Christian Solidarity Worldwide – Southeast Asia is a member of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network.

Website
Facebook
Address: Room 6 Mezzanine Floor, Manila Observatory Building, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines
Tel:  +63 24 26 59 21
Fax: +63 24 26 61 41
Email: escasia2003@yahoo.com

ESCR-Asia is a Philippine-based regional human rights institution, engaged in advocacy and training. ESCR-ASIA, INC. is a member of the Asia Pacific refugee rights Network.

Website
Address: 245 E Pepper Dr., Long Beach, CA 90807, USA
Tel: 
+63 24 78 33 50 (representative branch)
Email: 
voiceinmanila@gmail.com

VOICE (Vietnamese Overseas Initiative for Conscience Empowerment) is a non-profit organization, registered in the United States since 2007. VOICE has been operating in the Philippines since 1997, and opened an office in Thailand in 2013. VOICE originated as a legal aid office, providing assistance to the remaining Vietnamese boat people in Southeast Asia.In recent years, VOICE has been working with the Vietnamese Canadian Federation (VCF) to find a durable humanitarian solution for the last remaining Vietnamese boat people in Thailand, and is currently working on their application for the eventual resettlement in Canada.In addition to the VCF, VOICE also collaborates with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and the Vietnamese Community in Australia (VCA) to provide legal and logistical support to refugees presently fleeing Vietnam to seek protection from persecution by the Vietnamese authorities. These refugees consist of priests, pastors, political activists, and rights defenders, seeking asylum in Thailand and Cambodia under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).   

Philippines LGBTQI+ Resources

Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Philippines.

Philippines COI

Find Philippines Country of Origin information (COI) experts, reports, commentaries, and relevant documents. 

We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant resources, or you are aware of organisations and/or individuals to include in our directories, please get in touch.

Last updated May 2023