RP official to legalize Indonesians

RP official to legalize Indonesians

MANILA (DPA): The Philippines' immigration office has urged his government to grant permanent resident status to almost 7,000 Indonesians illegally staying in the southern region of Mindanao "for the past three generations".

Immigration Commissioner Rufus Rodriguez said legalizing the stay of the Indonesians would be the best solution to their "stateless status", noting it would be difficult to force them out of the country.

Rodriguez said a year-long survey recorded a total of 6,914 Indonesians living in at least seven provinces in Mindanao without proper travel or immigration documents.

"Many of these Indonesians have been staying in Mindanao for the past three generations, that they have already adapted to Filipino customs and traditions and even speak the local dialect," Rodriguez said.

"It would be difficult to force these Indonesians to leave the country, since many of them have already assimilated themselves into Philippine society by marrying Filipino women and siring children," he added.

Rodriguez said he plans to meet with officials of the Indonesian consulate in Davao City, 990 kilometers south of Manila, to discuss the problem and come up with a solution.