5 times the Philippines became a refugee camp for other nations

2. Shelter in Tubabao for “White Russians”

In early 1949, an estimated 6,000 “White Russians” fled from communists in Russia and then from the Chinese communists in Shanghai with the help of the International Refugee Organization and sought sanctuary in Tubabao, an island off the southeastern point of Samar Island.

Gregory Bologoff, who was involved in organizing the White Russians in China into the Russian Emigrants’ Association, organized the evacuation of the White Russians to a safe and secure place and appealed to the United Nations, to the International Refugees Organization (IRO), and to all countries in the free world to save them and give them asylum.The Philippines , under Pres. Elpidio Quirino, was the only country that responded and offered to the refugees the island of Tubabao.

Tubabao turned into what was known as Russian Refugee Camp where electricity, a hospital, a sanatorium, a supply office, a cemetery and churches of every denomination were set up.

3. Bataan Philippine Refugee Processing Center (PRPC)

The PRPC was a large facility near Morong, Bataan opened in 1980 where more than 400,000 Indochinese refugees (Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, ethnic Chinese, and some other minority groups) passed through its gates.

The camp prepared the refugees for immigration to a variety of resettlement nations such as Canada, Norway, Australia, France, and primarily the United States. During their stay in the PRPC, the refugees underwent final processing, health screenings, and studied English and US culture.

Funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees coupled with a large population of Filipino and third-country employees, PRPC operated like a small city with schools, hospitals, libraries, restaurants, sports facilities, fire brigades, sewage treatment facilities, power generation facilities, water treatment centers, markets, and places of worship for four religions