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Articles: More Filipinos favor pullout decision

Posted by admin on Thursday, July 22, 2004 - 12:48 AM

More Filipinos agreed with the government's decision to pull out its troops from Iraq for the release of Filipino hostage Angelo de la Cruz, said a survey released Thursday.
Citing the survey conducted by HB&A Research International Inc.from July 17 to 19, the Philippine Star said that 72 percent of Metro Manila residents approved of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's decision to pull out the 51-strong contingent from Iraq in exchange for de la Cruz's life. The kidnapped trunk driver, who has been released on Tuesday, is set to arrive at Manila international airport Thursday. However, 19 percent of 300 respondents still held that the decision was "wrong," and 7 percent had no stand on the issue. An earlier HB&A survey on the issue taken from July 10 to 12, during the height period of the hostage crisis, showed a split over whether to stay or pull out the troops from Iraq when the respondents were asked to choose from among three possible decisions by President Arroyo. Fifty-four percent said that Arroyo should "immediately" pull out Filipino troops from Iraq to save the hostage while 34 percent favored an initial incomplete pullout to show the abductors that "we are ready to give in" and so as not to displease the United States and its allies. Only 12 percent disapproved of the pullout because it would "put us in a bad light" with the United States and its allies. The survey also revealed that 75 percent of the respondents believed that the United States was not justified in being angry at the Philippine government for the pullout decision while only 20 percent thought the opposite. Forty-four percent of the respondents believed that the government should continue its general support for the United States, while 37 percent thought it should stop supporting the long-standing ally. The Philippines, a staunch supporter of both the US-led campaign against terrorism and the US-led invasion of Iraq, completed the withdrawal of its 51-member humanitarian contingent from Iraq on Monday, one month before their original schedule on Aug. 20. This act secured Tuesday's release of Filipino truck driver de la Cruz, a 46-year-old father of eight abducted on July 7 by Iraqi militants who demanded the early withdrawal of the Philippine contingent from Iraq.

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