Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump mentioned the Philippines in his list of “terrorist nations” with “animals” entering the United States. But Malacañang reminded Trump that he once called the country a “special place” during the launch of his luxury apartment in Makati.
On August 4 (August 5 in Manila), Trump told supporters in Maine that Somalis and other refugees from terrorist countries should not be allowed entry to the US to avoid giving them a chance to recruit for “Islamist terror groups.”
“We are letting people come in from terrorist nations that shouldn’t be allowed because you can’t vet them,” Trump said during his anti-immigrant speech at a Portland, Maine rally.
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“You have no idea who they are. This could be the great Trojan horse of all time,” he said as he warned that terrorists come into the country pretending to be refugees.
“This is a practice that has to stop,” Trump said, adding that the thousands of refugees who have arrived in Maine and other states in the country have created problems.
He said that resettling Somali refugees was “having the unintended consequence of creating an enclave of immigrants with high unemployment that is both stressing the state’s… safety net and creating a rich pool of potential recruiting targets for Islamist terror groups,” as quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Trump then went on to enumerate what these “terrorist” countries are, which are mostly Muslim majority countries – Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Morocco, Somalia. Syria, Yemen, Uzbekistan, and the Philippines. He said immigrants from these countries were arrested after threatening or conducting violent attacks, honing the bomb-making skills of recruits, and supporting terrorists.
“We’re dealing with animals,” he said.
He attacked Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s stand to allow immigrants to enter the US.
“Hillary Clinton wants to have them come in by the hundreds of thousands,” Trump said, to the boos of the audience.
“You’re going to have problems like you’ve never seen,” he added.
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Palace reminds Trump he once called PH a “special place”
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Trump “unfortunately” included Philippines in his anti-immigration speech and noted how the American presidential candidate has a real estate investment in Makati – the Trump Tower.
“In fact, Mr. Trump has even professed his love for the Philippines during the launch of his 57-story luxury apartment in Makati. He did say, ‘I’ve always loved the Philippines. I think this is just a special place, and Manila is one of Asia’s most spectacular cities. I know that this project will be second to none’,” Andanar said.
Andanar added that the Philippines also opposes terrorism.
“Let it be known that the Philippines and the Filipino people stand in solidarity with other peace-loving countries and individuals in fighting and opposing terrorism in all its forms,” he said.
Rappler reported that according to the Migration Policy Institute, the Filipinos ranked fourth among the biggest number of immigrants to the US, with Mexico, China and India leading the list.
Salceda seeks to have Trump banned from PH
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda filed a resolution last week to “refuse Donald J. Trump entry into the Philippines.”
Salceda condemned Trump’s “wholesale labeling of Filipinos as coming from a ‘terrorist’ state.”
The congressman cited the Bureau of Immigration’s provision that bans the entry of foreigners “who clearly generated impressions not conducive to the public good and [have] shown disrespect or [made] offensive utterances to the Filipino people.”
“With his current stature as candidate of a major political party for president of the most powerful country in the world, his remarks have had widespread dissemination and aggravating the shame it has already put on Filipinos and Filipino Muslims,” Salceda added.
Sources: (globalnation.inquirer.net, rappler.com)
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