LIST: Notable Filipinos who sought asylum

A number of Filipinos, some of whom connected in politics, chose to flee the Philippines and apply for asylum in another country due to supposed persecution or fear for their lives. Some of them were successful, but others were not.

Here are some well-known Filipinos who have sought asylum and their reasons for doing so:

Harry Roque

In March 2025, former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced that he would file for an application for asylum in The Netherlands, after being linked to alleged illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) operations.

Roque, a known supporter of the Duterte family, back then stressed that he could not go back to the Philippines as he wanted to defend former president Rodrigo Duterte — who was then just brought to The Hague for charges of crimes against humanity.

The same month, Roque confirmed he already applied for asylum in The Netherlands. In June 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said his request for political asylum was denied — a statement described by Roque as “fake news."

In November last year, he said Dutch authorities told him that it would be up to the Austrian government to give him protection because it was the latter that gave him his visa.

Roque, however, said his trip to Vienna did not push through after his surgeons deemed him unfit to travel.

The DOJ, meanwhile, said it trusts Austria's asylum process amid claims that the European nation would handle the protection request of the former government official.

Roque is facing charges for qualified human trafficking in connection with the Lucky South 99 POGO firm in Porac, Pampanga. A warrant of arrest has been issued against him by the Angeles, Pampanga Regional Trial Court Branch 118.

He has denied the allegations against him.

Jeffrey Celiz

In April 2025, Sonshine Media Network International host Jeffrey Celiz confirmed that he left the Philippines for the United States due to alleged harassment directed at him and his family. He said he wanted to avoid possible arrest warrants that he claims are part of a broader campaign of political persecution against supporters of Rodrigo Duterte.

Celiz had revealed plans to seek political asylum in Canada.

However, various Filipino migrant and human rights organizations expressed strong opposition to Celiz’s potential asylum bid in Canada. They wrote a letter addressed to the Canadian Immigration Minister, urging Canadian authorities to deny Celiz’s asylum request, citing history of red-tagging.

Royina Garma

Retired police colonel Royina Garma, who is known for her alleged ties with the drug war of Rodrigo Duterte, also filed for asylum in the United States in November 2024, according to her lawyer.

This came following her arrest in the US due to a canceled visa.

Garma, who is facing a murder complaint over the death of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayug, returned to the Philippines in September 2025. But she flew again to Malaysia a day after her return.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it would tap the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) for the return of the retired police official to the Philippines.

Arnolfo Teves Jr.

In May 2023, then-Justice secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that former Negros Oriental Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves entered Timor-Leste to seek asylum.

This came nearly two months after the former congressman asked the House leadership to grant him a two-month-long leave of absence, citing a "very grave threat" to his life and his family.

The same month, the Department of Foreign Affairs said that Teves’ application for political asylum was denied.

Teves, who is facing multiple murder charges over the alleged killing of late Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo and others, has been designated a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council. He also denied the accusations against him.

In March 2024, Teves was arrested by authorities in Timor-Leste. Back then, his lawyer said they would explore several legal options, including applying for political asylum anew.

In June 2024, the DOJ announced that Timor-Leste granted the Philippines' request for the extradition of Teves. But several months later, the Timor-Leste Court of Appeal reversed its decision.

Came May 2025, the former lawmaker was arrested by immigration officers in Timor-Leste where he sought asylum. He was brought back to the Philippines the same month to face murder charges.

Teves is currently detained at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) detention facility in the New Bilibid Prison compound in Muntinlupa City.

Jed Mabilog

Former Iloilo City mayor Jed Mabilog, who was earlier included in the narco-list in relation to the drug war waged by the Duterte administration, also applied for asylum in the United States.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that he sought political asylum from the US government “and was indeed granted.”

Mabilog said he decided not to go back to the Philippines from Japan in 2017 due to the threats to his life.

He came back to the country seven years after, in September 2024, and surrendered to authorities over the graft charges filed against him.

The former mayor, however, stood firm that he was never involved in the illegal drug trade, claiming that the accusations against him by former president Rodrigo Duterte were all “baseless” and “fabricated.”

Joma Sison

The late Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison also resided in The Netherlands where he sought asylum as a political refugee from 1987 until his death in December 2022.

Sison was a torture victim during the Marcos Sr. regime, and was released from prison after the People Power Revolt. However, the military back then successfully pressured the Aquino government to cancel his passport.

READ: How can Filipinos seek asylum in another country? — BAP, GMA News