|
Sunday, May 02, 2004
Private firms asked not to deploy Filipino workers in Iraqi hotspots
MANILA -- The government said Saturday it was asking private companies not to deploy Filipino workers in danger zones in Iraq following the killing there this week of a Filipino civilian.
President Arroyo has asked a special "Iraq team" of diplomats to "coordinate and work closely with private firms in Iraq to desist from deploying Filipino workers in danger-prone areas," a statement said.
The move follows the killing of Rodrigo Reyes, a truck-driver for a Kuwait-based company who was killed Thursday when his 50-vehicle convoy was attacked on its way back to Kuwait by suspected insurgents after delivering supplies into Iraq for US contractor Kellogg, Brown and Root.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Julia Heidemann said insurgents caused the roadside bombing that killed Reyes. The insurgents reportedly planted explosive devices on the ground, and opened fire using rocket-propelled grenades.
Reyes is the first Filipino to be killed in the Iraq conflict. Some members of the Filipino security forces have sustained minor injuries in previous attacks.
"The president would like security measures to be strictly implemented so that Rodrigo Reyes is our first and last casualty," the statement said.
"The safety of Filipino workers comes first in the government's commitment to help the Iraqi people in rebuilding their war-torn country," the statement added.
However, Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye said that she had no plans of withdrawing the 43 Filipino soldiers and eight policemen deployed to help coalition forces in Iraq.
Arroyo, facing a presidential election on May 10, has previously pledged to keep the country's 3,000 civilian workers and the Filipino contingent in Iraq despite calls from some legislators and leftist groups to withdraw them.
Bunye conceded that the government had no way of keeping track of the Filipinos seeking work in Iraq, remarking that Rodrigo and many others were "direct-hires" who sought work themselves and were not documented by Manila.
Despite this, the Labor Department is still trying to contact Filipino workers in Iraq so they will know of any contingency plan in case of an outbreak of trouble.
Arroyo previously ordered Filipino civilians in Iraq to "keep out of harm's way by staying put in their camps for the time being" and to "exercise caution and avoid straying out to dangerous zones".
She also urged them to register with the Philippines embassy in Baghdad.
Arroyo ordered Filipino civilians in Iraq to "keep out of harm's way by staying put in their camps for the time being" and to "exercise caution and avoid straying out to dangerous zones".
She urged them to register with the Philippine embassy in Baghdad.
The left-wing political party Migrante urged Arroyo to bring soldiers and civilian workers home.
"President Arroyo's stubborn stand against an evacuation will only kill more Filipinos in Iraq," the party said.
Arroyo, however, who enjoys a slim lead over movie-star rival Fernando Poe ahead of the May 10 election, said: "This incident does not call for the mass evacuation of our workers, although we are prepared for a calibrated response to any emergent contingencies.
"We stand with the world against terrorism and such terrorist attacks. Our commitment to democracy and reconstruction in Iraq is undiminished." JPM/AFP
(May 2, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
Brother Eddie ‘is not anti-Catholic’