| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq-Jordan |
| Filipinos Out of Iraq |
| 2004-07-20 |
| Insurgents targeted the Iraqi police again yesterday as the last of the Philippine troops left the country. Kidnappers freed an Egyptian hostage, but there was no word on Angelo dela Cruze for whose freedom Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo withdrew his country's contingent of 51 peacekeepers. The Philippines said it had completed the withdrawal of its humanitarian military contingent in Iraq a month ahead of schedule. An official at the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait said 34 soldiers left their base in Iraq yesterday. Eleven were withdrawn last week. A few Filipino soldiers are expected to remain in Baghdad to protect the Philippine Embassy. Despite the release of the Egyptian hostage and Manila's hopes that dela Cruz will also soon be freed, diplomats say there is little hope that a Bulgarian hostage is still alive. A group led by Jordanian-born Al-Qaeda ally Abu Mussab Al-Zarqawi seized two Bulgarians earlier this month and sent video footage to Al-Jazeera showing one of them being beheaded. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #18 How about human rights? I really thought you of all people know about human rights? what if this happens to your own country? And here you are to show that you are concerned for your people's human rights. Now that Filipinos are concerned you seem not to care for human rights. Life can't be paid by even billions of your dirty money. |
| Posted by: Anonymous5992 2004-08-05 7:47:33 AM |
| #17 I understand why Arroyo did it. She wants to win the upcoming elections. The guy on the other side played politics and urged her to withdraw. So she did. Arroyo's inability to deliver much improvement in the lives of ordinary Filipinos has led to this juncture. She had no political capital to draw on and her opponent urged appeasement. The result was a foregone conclusion. This doesn't mean she's not a bozo, but it places her decision in context. And if other guy wins, he is likely cause even more problems out of sheer incompetence (like the economy going even further south, and the security situation deteriorating further) - he's an even greater bozo than Arroyo's predecessor, Joseph Estrada, never mind Arroyo. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-07-20 3:22:42 PM |
| #16 It's not inconceivable that the Phillipines will still help in Iraq in some other way. The only way that they could "help" would be to provide local employees, which would then increase the chances of yet another kidnapping..... |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-07-20 2:45:12 PM |
| #15 Aris: It seems to me that the reason Phillippines left was because they had never believed in what was being done there. Actually, the reason why they left was because they only had a 51 member contingent to begin with. It's much easier to pull out 51 people than 1000. It's also much easier to keep 51 people under cover, so to speak. It's not inconceivable that the Phillipines will still help in Iraq in some other way. Anyway, with only a 51 member contingent, I probably would have done the same thing to save one man's life. Tough choice though, because this is seen as capitulation (at home primarily). |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-07-20 12:52:08 PM |
| #14 Well said Domingo! "by American standards", yep. "Greece to rely on NATO for olympic security". Course Greece pays it's NATO dues so is intitled to such looking after. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2004-07-20 12:23:59 PM |
| #13 While I'm deeply disappointed in Arroyo's actions, and think they will come back to haunt both her and her country, it's also the case that she was in a major bind. She is facing a long-standing Islamacist rebellion in her own country, her Army may or may not back her on any given action and much of her economy is based on money sent back by maids, nurses and construction workers in other countries -- especially the Middle East. Not wise to have paid the ransom, but understandable to have pulled out. The Phillipines has not had a strong leader for many years ... and given the deep rifts in the country, it might be that only a corrupt tyrant could do much more than tack against the wind. OTOH, it would be nice to hear some statements of principle ..... Oh, and Aris -- the Phillipines were in Iraq for more than the money. The US agreed to subsidize their presence out of recognition that their economy is weak. But Arroyo wants help with her insurgents too - and that help started up again when she agreed to send aid workers to Iraq. In exchange for those workers, she got some top special forces training help - no small thing. |
| Posted by: rkb 2004-07-20 12:20:02 PM |
| #12 Aris, The war in Iraq is over. The "occupation" of Iraq is over. As much as Euro-snobs hate to admit it America and GWB have been successful to date in Iraq and the WOT, and will continue to be successful. Success by American standards. |
| Posted by: domingo 2004-07-20 10:35:10 AM |
| #11 I don't think the repercussions of this sellout to terrorists will manifest immediately, but they will manifest. We will probably see positive light shed on Spain and the Philippines first, but once a sellout to blackmail, always a sellout. Give it a few years. |
| Posted by: jules 187 2004-07-20 10:25:51 AM |
| #10 This really sucks. If you don't want to be there, don't go in the first place. If you don't want to stay, don't go in the first place. If you are willing to pay random to terrorists, stay home and practise saying "dhimmi"! |
| Posted by: Spot 2004-07-20 9:08:17 AM |
| #9 It's hard to find an honest mercenary that stays bought. It seems to me that the reason Phillippines left was because they had never believed in what was being done there. Some countries like USA or UK do (or did) believe it, others like Bulgaria and Poland possibly honestly value the alliance with the USA, even if they don't believe in the war in Iraq. Phillipines was just in it for a quick buck, it seems from what you say. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-07-20 8:55:31 AM |
| #8 #4, the US paid the Philippine government $6 millions to go to Iraq. In turn the Philippine paid the same money to get out of Iraq. |
| Posted by: Susan 2004-07-20 8:13:02 AM |
| #7 Nick, and the $6 million ransom will pay for the killings of how many other civilians - non filipinos? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-07-20 8:11:26 AM |
| #6 Dela Cruze is on his way home and a life ! |
| Posted by: Nick 2004-07-20 7:51:55 AM |
| #5 Filipinos? There are no Filipinos here... |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-20 1:29:07 AM |
| #4 Brilliant? For giving $6mil to terrorists? She should be strung up. |
| Posted by: someone 2004-07-20 12:44:26 AM |
| #3 Like I said before Arroyo is the Philippine version of John Kerry and/or Jimmie Carter. Now the NPA (New Peoples Army - communists) are demanding that she stop all military operations against them before they will return hostages. This appears to be in preparation for talks (which will probably consist of 'You will give us this for this hostange, that for this hostage, and this for that hostage over there...'). Things are going to get ugly. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2004-07-20 12:37:57 AM |
| #2 I wouldn't bet on brilliant. She's a weak, sniveling excuse for a leader. Donald Sensing has it right: good riddance. The Spanish and the Filipinos ultimately don't matter very much. The world understands that we, the Brits and the Aussies don't run. We've taken the hard hits and stood firm, and for that we owe GWB a big thank you -- he's rehabilitated our image in the world. And it's actions like Glory-hole's that ensures that no one will ever take the UN seriously -- thanks to her and the mighty Uruguayans, there's no such thing as a steadfast UN peacekeeping force. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2004-07-20 12:27:46 AM |
| #1 What if dela Cruze turns up dead? Either Arroyo is super brilliant, or looks like a supreme idiot. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-07-20 12:22:47 AM |
