Filipino soldiers and civilians in Iraq, Saudi Arabia are targets of 'terrorists' : QC IMC

“After the May 29 attacks that killed three overseas Filipino workers in Al-Khobar, this administration, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Middle East Team cannot deny that Filipinos are included as targets of ‘terrorists’ in Saudi Arabia and Iraq,” Migrante Chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado said.

Three Filipino soldiers were injured when Iraqi insurgents opened fire at their convoy in Iraq's southern province of Babil Tuesday, Philippine special envoy to the Middle East Roy Cimatu said yesterday.

Injured were Capt. Ricnon Carolasan, Sgt. Negsur Betantos and Navy Cpl. Manuel Cajote. This is the second time Cajote was wounded in an attack in Iraq, the first time was in a suicide bombing in Camp Charlie last February.

Migrante revealed that “various internet and media outlets in the region, have confirmed intelligence reports from government authorities that Al Qaeda ‘terrorists’ are targeting in this particular order: American, British, Filipino, Italian and Japanese nationalities.”

There are 940,000 Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia, with 200,000 in the oil city of Al-Khobar. AN estimated 4,200 Filipinos are toiling in American installations in Iraq, including 51 soldiers and police of the Philippine “humanitarian contingent.”

“OFWs have become fair game to ‘terrorists’ in both Iraq and Saudi Arabia because of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s support to the US government’s “terror war of occupation in Iraq.” Even now, companies in the Kingdom will be issued special badges to Filipinos working in palace projects and other vital facilities that are deemed as possible targets of ‘terrorist’ attacks,” Bragas-Regalado said.

Malacañang and the DFA are content at ‘slowing down deployment’ to Saudi Arabia and war-torn Iraq and declaring that “there is no need for an evacuation of Filipinos in the two nations.

“This betrays the only two things government has done: denying the real dangers Filipinos face as targets in the Middle East, and the only contingency plan calling on all Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to stay close to their employers and keep vigilance. Pres. Arroyo is stubbornly supporting the US occupation of Iraq at the expense of OFWs in the Middle East. This is a case of deceiving the public on the real situation in the region,” Bragas-Regalado said.

MIGRANTE renewed its call for Malacañang to “immediately withdraw its support for the US war of occupation and terror in the Middle East.”

“A concrete government action plan to take out Filipinos from the list of ‘terrorist’ targets is to immediately withdraw support to the US’ war of occupation terror and the provision of stable jobs in the Philippines. This would entail the withdrawal of Filipino soldiers and policemen from Iraq and job creation that shall bring OFWs back to their families,” Bragas-Regalado said.

“We hope that Pres. Arroyo shall not wait for the Filipino body count to rise before she takes heed of our calls for government action. She is accountable for every OFW who is killed in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and elsewhere,” Bragas-Regalado concluded. #