Supreme Court 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 it and relevant legal frameworks. 

This is exactly two years after the media launch of the said rule the Supreme Court, through the special sommittee and the Philippine Judicial Academy, 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 recently 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, the Office of the Solicitor General, and Community and Family  Services  International,  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 Hernando 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.”   

He said, “the Rule exists in an intricate web of international conventions, treaties,  and laws, which are all aimed at refugee protection and addressing statelessness. 

Hernando added that 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.”