President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said that no deal has been made yet between the Philippines and the United States to house Afghan refugees in the country.
Mr. Marcos made the clarification amid reports circulating online that the housing request was already granted.
“That is why I was a little surprised when I saw some of the news reports (that) there’s a deal between the US. There is no deal,” the President said.
He said he is still looking at how to make it work, adding that the government needs to be cautious when it comes to security issues.
“We will continue to study. Let’s see if there is a way we can do it without endangering the security of the Philippines,” the President said.
“In principle, we would like to help… Filipinos are very helpful. But again we have to make sure that it is not something that will affect the lives of ordinary Filipinos,” he added.
The President’s sister, Senator Imee Marcos, earlier questioned what she described as the government’s” lack of transparency” in handling the request.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the proposal to assist the refugees was made in October 2022.
According to DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo, US President Joe Biden raised the request again in May when Mr. Marcos visited Washington.