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Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star
March 14, 2026 | 12:00am
Through Department Order 159 issued March 9, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said “foreigners whose visas expired last Feb. 28, 2026 will be allowed to legally stay in the Philippines until April 1, 2026.”
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — Foreign nationals staying in the country and affected by disruption of global flights due to the Middle East conflict may be able to continue their stay even if the validity of their visas has lapsed, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
Through Department Order 159 issued March 9, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said “foreigners whose visas expired last Feb. 28, 2026 will be allowed to legally stay in the Philippines until April 1, 2026.”
Their extended stay will be allowed “without payment of any fees, fines and penalties.”
Bureau of Immigration spokesperson Dana Sandoval told The STAR yesterday the bureau would comply with the DOJ directive.
ASEAN: Cease hostilities
Foreign ministers and senior official leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) called for a cessation of hostilities in the Middle East.
In a statement, Foreign Affairs Secretary and ASEAN chair Ma. Theresa Lazaro said she convened a virtual Special ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the situation in the Middle East, to exchange views on the evolving situation in the region and to address its implications for ASEAN.
The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam as well as Senior Official Leaders (SOM) of Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Timor-Leste.
Lazaro announced that ASEAN foreign ministers “expressed serious concern over the situation in the Middle East and its impacts in the region, and emphasized the importance of the immediate cessation of hostilities, called on all parties to exercise utmost self-restraint and resolve differences through diplomacy and dialogue, respect international law including the Charter of the United Nations, in the interest of maintaining peace and stability in the region.”
“Two, we also agreed to strengthen our cooperation and work more closely to respond more rapidly to the challenges impacting our region. We also agreed to continue monitoring the situation in the Middle East,” she said.
On energy security, Lazaro said foreign ministers and SOMs also discussed the adverse impacts of the conflict in the Middle East on global economic activity, particularly on energy markets and maritime transport routes, and underscored the importance of maintaining stable, open and reliable global and regional energy supply chains and maritime trade routes. — Bella Cariaso, Michael Punongbayan
