Filipino father of slain IDF soldier to be granted permanent residency in Israel
Enrico Basilio was deported to the Philippines when his son Cedrick Garin was 2 years old; now promised permanent residency after Cedrick was killed in Gaza
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel announced on Sunday that the father of slain IDF reservist Cedrick Garin would be granted permanent residency in Israel later this week, Hebrew media reported.
Enrico Basilio was deported from Israel to the Philippines some 22 years ago, when his son was just 2 years old. On Monday, he will visit the Population and Immigration Authority in Tel Aviv, where he will receive his permanent resident visa.
Basilio returned to Israel in January of this year for the first time since he was deported, in order to attend his son’s funeral. The 23-year-old IDF reservist was among 21 soldiers who were killed in Gaza in January, when a deadly RPG attack collapsed two buildings with soldiers inside.
As Basilio was deported when Cedrick was just 2 years old, the boy was raised solely by his mother, Imelda, also originally from the Philippines, who retained her status as a temporary resident even after Cedrick received citizenship upon the completion of his IDF service.
Following Cedrick’s death, Arbel instructed the Population and Immigration Authority to grant citizenship to both of his parents, saying at the time that they had “sacrificed what was most precious to them for the country, and we need to be by their side at this time.”
In a statement cited by Ynet on Sunday, Arbel said that the decision to issue the permanent residency visa to Basilio was a show of “gratitude for Cedrick’s heroism and sacrifice for the country.”
“We will continue to stand by these families, who raised their children to serve and protect the country,” he added.
Cedrick completed his mandatory military service as a combat soldier in the Givati Brigade, and shortly before he was discharged in 2021, he received a certificate of distinction from the head of the IDF’s Southern Command.
His journey to get there was not straightforward, however, as he had dropped out during his last year of high school and got into trouble with the law. But then he turned his life around, and, as he was determined to serve his adopted country, he pleaded with military officials to allow him to enlist.
Cedrick hoped to pursue a career in security, as he was presented on the IDF website in 2021 after he received a certificate of distinction: “I discovered [during my IDF service] that I love it… Every time I am guarding… I feel like, ‘Wow, people can sleep in peace because of us. Because I am here.’ That’s what I want to do my whole life.”
His ultimate goal was to provide financially for his mother, Imelda, so that she could stop working, his wife, Daniela, recounted at his funeral. For himself, she said, he envisioned “a messy house full of children and noise.”
Maya Zanger-Nadis contributed to this report.
