13th Congress of the Republic 
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30 
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of the Philippines 
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First Regular Session 
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S E N A T E  
S. No. 
1152 
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Introduced by Senator Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill seeks to grant permanent residence status to qualified 
Vietnamese refugees and asylum seekers in the Philippines. 
The Philippines hosts several alien visitors who have entered our country 
out of necessity. Most of these refugees are Vietnamese. 
Numbering around a thousand, the Vietnamese refugees, living in 
Palawan and elsewhere in the country are seeking the government's permission 
to permanently stay here. The Vietnamese refugees are among the thousands 
who fled their war-torn homeland after the fall of Saigon. Unable to accept the 
iron rule of communism, they yearned the embrace of free men. Now, their 
earnest request is to be granted the privilege to permanently stay in our country. 
They want to adopt it as their own. To them, this is the promised land. Public 
interest demands that we respond to the request of these distressed refugees in a 
manner befitting the Philippines' role as the beacon of democracy in the post- 
EDSA Far East. 
For this reason, this bill is filed .to legalize and regulate the stay of 
Vietnamese refugees in the Philippines. 
Let us not forget that not too long ago, we too, were a country faced with a 
similar experience. When tyranny reigned, many persecuted Filipinos fled to 
other countries seeking temporary shelter therein. 
Indeed, there is much to thank the free world for. We are now being called 
upon as a country to return the good deed by allowing qualified Vietnamese 
refugees to become permanent residents of the Philippines. 
The passage of this bill is earnestly requested. 
6- 
ENTEL, JR. 


13th Congress of the Republic 
) 
of the Philippines 
1 
First Regular Session 
) 
S E N A T E  
S. No. 
115% 
Introduced by Senator Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. 
AN ACT 
GRANTING 
PERMANENT RESIDENCE STATUS UNDER 
CERTAIN 
CONDITIONS 
TO 
VIETNAMESE 
REFUGEES 
THROUGH A SOCIAL INTEGRATION PROGRAM 
Be it enacted bv the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as ”The Vietnamese Refugee 
Social Integration Act of 2004.” 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State shall exercise control and 
regulation over the admission and integration of aliens into its territory and body 
politic. Towards this end, and as a manifestation of Filipino compassion and 
respect for human rights, the Vietnamese refugees with unsettled residence 
status will be allowed to integrate into the midstream of Philippine society in 
recognition for their unique history in the Philippines. The Philippines reaffirms 
its adherence to internationally recognized principles on human rights enshrined 
in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international 
instruments to which it is a party. 


SECTION 3. Coverage. - Upon the effectivity of this Act, Vietnamese 
refugees who arrived in the Philippines as asylum seekers, between January 1, 
1989 to December 31,1995, are hereby granted permanent residence status upon 
compliance with the requirement thereunder. Consequently, they shall not be 
prosecuted for crimes defined under Commonwealth Act No. 613, otherwise 
known as the Immigration Act of 1940. 
Children born of parents who are granted permanent residence under this 
Act hall, upon proper registration with the bureau of Immigration, become 
permanent residents. 
SECTION4. Disqualifications. - Any Vietnamese refugee who is a 
burden to society or has been convicted by final judgement of a crime or has a 
pending criminal case during his stay in the Philippines shall be disqualified 
from acquiring permanent resident status. 
SECTION 5. Integration Requirements and Fees. - The social integration 
of Vietnamese refugees established under Section 3 shall be effective and its 
benefits enjoyed by these nationals upon completion of the following acts: 
5.1 Registration with the Bureau of Immigration; 
The registration forms shall contain: the applicant’s full name and 
aliases by which he or she may be known; a complete fingerprint 
card; police and NBI clearances; proof of his or her identity; good 
moral character through affidavit from two (2) Filipino citizens of 
good repute in his or her place of residence; proof of financial 


capacity; history of stay in the Philippines; residential address of the 
immediate past five (5) years; and four (4) passport-size pictures. 
5.2 Payment of the following integration fees to a duly licensed 
commercial or universal bank accredited by the BIR as authorized to 
receive income tax payments: 
a. A minimum fee of Ten Thousand Pesos (4310,000.00) upon filing of 
the registration forms; 
b. A single payment of not less than Five Thousand Pesos 
(@5,000.00) for the applicant’s spouse and not less than Two 
Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (432,500.00) for each biological 
child below eighteen (18) years of age; 
5.3 The integration fees paid by a Vietnamese refugee shall be in lieu of 
all immigration fees and fines which he or she may have previously 
incurred; 
5.4 Submission of a medical certificate stating that the applicant is not a 
, user of prohibited drugs and that he or she is not afflicted with 
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS); 
5.5 Verification by the Bureau of Immigration of the truth and veracity of 
the Vietnamese Refugee’s documentary submissions. 


SECTION 6. Oflicial Receipt. - The commercial or universal bank 
mentioned in Section 5.3 hereof shall issue an official receipt for the integration 
fee, upon payment by the applicant of a processing fee of not less than One 
Thousand Pesos (421,000.00) to be fixed'by the Bureau of Immigration. 
SECTION 7. Duties of the Bureau of Immigration. - The Bureau of 
Immigration shall have the ministerial duty of accepting the registration forms 
required under Section 5 hereof. The Bureau may charge a minimum of One 
Hundred Pesos (@lOO.OO) for the filing of the registration forms. Upon payment 
of the filing fee, the Bureau shall issue a certification that the applicant has filed 
all the forms required under Section 5 of this Act. 
Upon completion by the Vietnamese refugee of the requirements of 
Sections 5 and 6 of this Act, the Bureau shall immediately issue an Alien 
Certificate of Registration (ACR) to the applicant. The permanent residence 
granted under this Act shall commence from the date the Bureau of Immigration 
issues the ACR. ' 
SECTION 8. Application Period and Form. - The benefits extended by 
Section 3 can be availed of from January 1,2005 to December 31,2005. 
All applications shall be submitted under oath or affirmation. Applicants 
who violate their oath or affirmation by knowingly making untruthful 
statements on any material matter in their applications shall be liable for perjury 
under the Revised Penal Code. In addition to the penalty imposed on perjury, 
any subsequent criminal conviction of the applicant shall revoke the permanent 


residence granted him or her and shall subject the applicant to deportation 
proceedings. 
SECTION 9. Administrative Confirmation. - The procedure herein 
provided may be availed of by a Vietnamese refugee who may want a 
confirmation or affirmation of his or her stay in the Philippines. 
SECTION 10. Eligibility for Citizenship. - The Vietnamese refugee shall 
be eligible to apply for naturalization after five (5) years from the date that he or 
she is granted permanent residence under this Act. 
SECTION 11. Compliance Report and Oversight Functions. - Within one 
(1) year from the effectivity of this Act, and before December 31 of every year 
thereafter, the Bureau of Immigration shall submit to the Chair of the Committee 
on Justice and Human Rights of each House of Congress, a written report on the 
implementation of this Act, copy of which shall be furnished the Senate 
President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
SECTION 12. Appropriations. - There is hereby appropriated, out of the 
payments received under Sections 5 hereof, an amount of Five Million Pesos 
(~5,000,000.00) to cover administrative and other expenses to be incurred in the 
implementation of this Act. 
Thereafter, such other amounts as may be necessary for the continued 
implementation of this Act shall be taken from the funds generated under 
Section 5 hereof. 


SECTION 13. Privacy Clause. - The information submitted by a 
Vietnamese refugee applicant pursuant to this Act shall be used only for the 
purposes of determining the truth and veracity of the factual statements of the 
applicant. 
SECTION 14. Rule-Making Power. - The Secretary of Justice shall 
promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary to efficiently and 
administratively implement the provisions of this Act within six months from its 
approval. 
SECTION 15. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is 
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the provisions not affected thereby shall 
continue to be in full force and effect. 
SECTION 16. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders or 
rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act 
are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 17. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) 
days after the completion of its publication in at least two (2) national 
newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,