Interior Minister Moshe Arbel announced Sunday that the father of Cedrick Garin, a fallen IDF reservist, would be granted permanent residency in Israel later this week, Israeli media reported.
Enrico Basilio was deported from Israel to the Philippines 22 years ago, when his son was just two years old. He will travel to the Population and Immigration Authority offices in Tel Aviv on Monday, where he will receive his permanent resident visa.
Basilio returned to Israel in January this year for the very first time since his expulsion. A trip which took place in sad circumstances: he had come to attend his son’s funeral. This 23-year-old reservist was one of the twenty-one soldiers who fell on the battlefield in January, when a deadly rocket launcher attack led to the collapse of two buildings where soldiers were located.
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Basilio having been deported when Cedrick was only two years old, the child was raised solely by his mother, Imelda, also from the Philippines, who retained her temporary resident status even after Cedrick obtained citizenship, in the end of his service in the IDF.
After Cedrick’s death, Arbel asked the Population and Immigration Authority to please grant citizenship to both of his parents, saying at the time that they had “sacrificed the best they had valuable to the country, and we must stand with them at this time.”
In a statement that was cited by Ynet on Sunday, Arbel said the decision to grant Basilio a permanent resident visa was a show of “gratitude for Cedrick’s heroism and for his sacrifice on behalf of the country.”
Sergeant First Class (Res.) Cedrick Garin, 23, killed in the southern Gaza Strip on January 22, 2024. (Courtesy)
“We will continue to support these families who raised their children to serve and protect the country,” he added.
Cedrick had completed his mandatory military service as a combat soldier in the Givati Brigade and in 2021, shortly before leaving the army, he received a certificate of distinction from the head of the IDF Southern Command.
His life journey had not been easy, however, having abandoned his studies during his last year of high school and having had problems with the law. But then he changed completely and, determined to serve his adopted country, he begged the military authorities to allow him to enlist in the army.
Cedrick hoped to pursue a career in the security field – this was stated on the Israeli army website in 2021 when he received his certificate of distinction: “I discovered [pendant mon service] that I loved it… Every time I stand guard… I feel like people can sleep peacefully thanks to us, because I’m there. Because I am here. This is what I want to do all my life.”
His ultimate goal was to financially support his mother, Imelda, so she could stop working, his wife, Daniela, said at his funeral. For his part, he himself envisioned “a house full of chaos and life, full of children and noise”.
Maya Zanger-Nadis contributed to this article.
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