THE TARLAC State University signed a partnership agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Department of Justice for the implementation of the Complementary Pathways program.

TSU was the first state university to be part of the CPath program, which aims to provide a home for refugees.

Through the agreement, the three institutions will provide opportunities to improve the refugees’ lives, such as studying as scholars, proper health care, and other essential services.

CPath scholars are expected to arrive at TSU this year to study engineering or IT-related programs.

State Counsel Paulito de Jesus, assistant head of the DOJ’s Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Unit, said the UNHCR approached them to explore capacity-building activities through CPath.

UNHCR Head of Philippines Office Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo said the program draws inspiration from the bible and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals tagline “no one should be left behind.”

“The scripture is saying that we should be opening our doors to the people who are not like us – the refugees; refugees who do not have any choice but to leave the country of residence because of persecution,” Valdeavilla-Gallardo said.

“They did not have a choice, and the gesture being offered by the TSU of opening your doors to the refugees [is a] testament that you are complying with the scripture,” she added.

Valdeavilla-Gallardo stressed that “everyone has a role in welcoming the refugees.