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Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Muslim leaders urge calm in Middle East crisis
By Danilo V. Adorador III
ALARMED over the escalating conflict in the Middle East, Muslim leaders here are urging calm, saying government must remain neutral and must prioritize the safety of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the affected nations.
Ombra Gandambra, director of the Office of Muslim Affairs in Northern Mindanao, believes the growing tensions between Israel and Muslim militant organizations in Lebanon and Palestine will not spill over to the southern Philippines where secessionist Muslim groups are fighting for an independent homeland.
But he said the national government must be cautious in its response to the conflict, saying that maintaining a neutral stand while pushing for a halt of offensives between the warring factions would serve the country better in the international stage.
Most vulnerable is the country's oil supply if the security conditions in the Middle East deteriorate, said Mandangan Darimbang, director of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in Northern Mindanao.
Darimbang and Dia among the well-respected leaders of Muslims in the region and both are officials of the Organization of Regional Officers in Region 10.
"We are alarmed on the possible economic backlash of this current conflict," Darimbang said, noting the recent price increase of petroleum products.
The government should support the United Nations for the early resolution of the conflict and move OFWs -- estimated to be around 30,000 -- into safer locations, the two officials said.
Meanwhile, the Philippine embassy in Lebanon initiated the relocation of Filipinos in Beirut to Christian churches, which have been perceived as relatively safe places amid the continuing attacks by Israeli forces.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has authorized charge d'affairs Walter Salmingo of the Philippine embassy in Beirut to raise the contingency plan for Filipinos in the war-torn state to alert level 3, referring to the relocation of all Filipino nationals to pre-designated safe areas.
Foreign Affairs undersecretary for migrant workers affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. identified the Church of the Miraculous Medal in Achrafieh in the Christian district of Beirut, some eight kilometers from the embassy, as the first relocation site of 115 to 120 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) initially sheltered at the embassy's Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC). (With reports from Sunnex)
(July 19, 2006 issue)
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