Like Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, the Philippines will push back to sea undocumented Asian “boat people” despite a United Nations appeal to Southeast Asian countries to open their ports to the migrants from impoverished Myanmar and Bangladesh, according to Malacañang.
But if documented migrant arrivals qualify as refugees or asylum seekers, the Bureau of Immigration will allow them entry, according to Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.
“Otherwise, we will have to deny admission if they don’t have travel documents,” the head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office told the Inquirer on Sunday.