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Articles: Agony for Filipino Family After New Deadline

Posted by admin on Monday, July 12, 2004 - 06:07 AM

The family of a Filipino truck driver held hostage in Iraq faced another two days of agony on Monday after militants gave the government an extra 48 hours to agree an early withdrawal of its humanitarian force.
The newly elected government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is refusing to pull out by July 20, a month ahead of schedule, drawing mounting criticism from leftist groups and the family of Angelo de la Cruz. "I think there are now new signals that the extension of the deadline has been given another 48-hour life," Labour Secretary Patricia Santo Tomas said in a television interview from Dubai, en route to Jordan with de la Cruz's wife and one of his brothers. The wife, Arsenia, would broadcast an appeal on Arabic television to the hostage-takers, possibly later on Monday, Philippine officials said. Foreign department officials have said that the Al Jazeera Arabic satellite channel is acting as the intermediary with the militants, although information from Philippine officials has not always been reliable. They caused premature celebrations among de la Cruz's family and friends on Saturday by giving the impression he was on the verge of release. The previous deadline of 1900 GMT Sunday passed with no fresh news on de la Cruz's fate as family and friends of the 46-year-old father of eight waited anxiously in their home north of Manila, praying and holding a candle-light vigil. On Sunday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert said there were no plans to withdraw its 51 humanitarian troops before August 20, prompting anger among relatives. The mood was lifted slightly as news of the extension on Monday rekindled hope they would see him again. "We continue to pray and we still have faith that Arroyo will help us. I beg the president to remove our soldiers so that my brother will be set free," said Feliciano, one of his brothers. POLITICAL FALL-OUT? Manila sent its top Middle East envoy to Baghdad to negotiate for de la Cruz's release and pleaded with the militants not to kill him after Al Jazeera showed him making a "final appeal." Sources at the foreign affairs department in Manila said on Monday that the militants had rejected suggestions of a ransom in exchange for de la Cruz's release. "The captors are committed to their cause and cannot be bought," they quoted Al Jazeera as telling Philippine officials in Baghdad. Arroyo, a staunch ally of the United States, is facing heavy pressure to save de la Cruz, a native of her home province who was abducted last week near the Iraqi town of Falluja while driving fuel from Saudi Arabia. "At the moment, the government of Mrs. Arroyo thinks it's worth the risk of getting the ire of the Philippine population," said political analyst Earl Parreno, adding that Arroyo likely saw her strong bond with Washington as more important. The mostly Roman Catholic population is acutely conscious of the eight million Filipinos who work abroad, often in dire conditions, to escape poverty and unemployment at home. Police broke up a protest by dozens of leftists in Manila on Monday, wounding one, as they approached the presidential palace. Churches around the country have held special masses to pray for de la Cruz, but protests have been small, with many seeming to recognize the government faces a tough choice. De la Cruz's family said he had gone to Saudi Arabia a year ago to work as a driver after a long period of unemployment. The U.S. ambassador to Manila Francis Ricciardone threw his support behind Arroyo in an interview with local television on Monday, saying she had shown "deep, deep care for this hostage but also care for the country's longer term interests."

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