UN agencies seek citizen benefits for Zamboanga's stateless Sama Bajau

MANILA, Philippines — Members of an indigenous group in Zamboanga City—who are considered stateless—may soon get citizen benefits as United Nation agencies seek to issue them documentation.

The United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Children’s Fund are aiming to register 1,500 Sama Bajau people in Zamboanga to give them access to education, health care and housing in the Philippines.

The Sama Bajau are nomadic seafarers. The Philippines identified the Sama Bajau in its national plan to end statelessness as one of five population groups at risk.

According to a UNHCR release, there are between 10,000 and 15,000 Sama Bajau living in Zamboanga, around 85% of whom have no birth certificates.

The UN refugee agency said the project is aiming to issue families documentation by mid-December.

“When they get their identification documents, it gives them better opportunities, particularly when it comes to getting an education and learning to read and write,” Meriam Palma, UNHCR field associate for protection, said.

She added: “It’s an important tool for them to be able to assert their rights as a tribe and as a people.”

Plight of Sama Bajau

Members of Sama Bajau communities in Zamboanga and Tawi-Tawi often experience difficulties in accessing basic services and in exercising their freedom of movement. Their lack of birth documents also poses a threat to their security, UNHCR said.

The UN refugee agency cited the case of 70-year-old Wanita Arajani, one of the Sama Bajaus in Zamboanga City who has no birth certificate. It was during the 2013 Zamboanga conflict that she discovered the importance of documentation in her granddaughter’s education and during security sweeps.

“It has been difficult for us to access services and we always feared discrimination because we are Sama Bajau. But when we get a birth certificate, we will feel more respected and be able to live life with dignity. I will feel valued as a citizen,” she said.