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Monday, May 31, 2004
3 Pinoys killed, 3 others wounded in Saudi attack
MANILA -- Three Filipinos were killed while three others were seriously wounded when militants linked to the al-Qaeda terror network took over a compound in the city of Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, a foreign affairs officer said.
Labor Undersecretary Manuel Imson identified those killed as Jolly Guiray, Jerry Dizon and Mariano Cabasab.
Guiray and Dizon, according to Imson, were employed by the Resources Science of Saudi Arabia Limited (Rsal) while Cabasab was a cook at the Podo Japanese restaurant inside Oasis compound.
"The standoff already ended and the hostage-takers already surrendered," Imson said.
The three wounded Filipino workers were identified as Marvin Perino, Jimuel Taruza and Albert Costales.
Imson said Perino sustained a gunshot wound in the face and is recuperating at the Intensive Care Unit of the King Fhad Hospital in Al Khobar while Taruza is confined at the Aston Hospital also in Al Khobar.
"They are both in stable condition now," Imson said, adding that Costales, who was shot and hit on the leg, was discharged already.
Casualties
Philippine ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bahnarim Guinomla said over radio dzBB it was not clear if the casualties came after Saudi troops stormed the housing compound to end the hostage crisis or if they were killed earlier.
"We want to visit at the hospital those wounded and we would also be checking on the remains of the three reported deaths," Guinomla said.
Guinomla said earlier reports from the field indicated two other Filipinos were trapped in the building at the time of the assault by Saudi forces.
"We are awaiting word on what happened to the two because the Saudi security forces assaulted, stormed the building and our latest information is that about six to seven of the militants have surrendered," he said.
Following the hostage crisis in Al Khobar, Arroyo, on Sunday, ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to ensure the protection of Filipinos working in the Saudi Arabia city.
A team from the foreign office, which is also monitoring the situation in Iraq, has been asked to watch developments in Al Khobar, Bunye added.
"The Iraq team will be giving detailed reports to our to our president through the Department of Foreign Affairs," Bunye said.
Iraq team
Virgilio Angelo, chief of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa), said the kin of the Filipino fatalities will receive financial assistance and burial assistance on top of the benefits the employees will get from their employers.
Imson said they are coordinating with Saudi authorities to determine if there were still other Filipinos injured in the incident since it happened in a residential compound where many Filipino workers live.
An estimated 130,000 Filipinos are working in Saudi Arabia's eastern province and more than 20,000 of them reside in areas surrounding Al Khobar.
President Arroyo is a staunch Asian ally of the US-led war on terrorism and there have been earlier concerns that her support could lead to attacks on Filipino workers abroad.
According to Bunye, the Iraq team will assist Filipinos in Saudi Arabia who want to return to the Philippines. Those who prefer to stay were advised to cooperate with Philippine authorities led by the Iraq team.
Bunye said the Iraq team, led by ambassador Roy Cimatu, has discretion over the safety and welfare of the OFWs in Saudi Arabia "because they are the ones near the area."
The Iraq team is composed of the different Philippine ambassadors in the Middle East and the representatives of the Department of Labor and Department of Foreign Affairs. The team earlier identified places that should be considered risk zones and avoided by Filipino workers. (Marie Neri/With AFP)
(May 31, 2004 issue)
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