The head of a 51-man Philippine humanitarian contingent in Iraq returned to Manila early yesterday and said that the rest of the members left Iraq late yesterday.
After arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport yesterday at 4.30am, Brig. Gen. Jovito Palparan said: "I am happy to be back. Our troops back there are all okay. They are preparing to leave soon."
He was the first of the team to come home to save the life of Angelo de la Cruz, a Filipino truck driver who was abducted by members of the Khaleed Al ibn Wahid Brigade on July 5 in Iraq.Upon his arrival, Palparan immediately reported to Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert in Manila and Chief of Staff Gen. Narciso Abaya in suburban Quezon City.
"He talked about details of the operational plan for the movement of the remaining Philippine humanitarian contingent out of Iraq by today," said Albert.
Later, Albert said in another statement: "The remaining 34 members of the Philippine team in Iraq concluded (on Monday) turning over their humanitarian and civic projects, and paid their farewell call on the (new) commander of the Polish sector (in camp)".
Philippine Ambassador Roy Cimatu, a special envoy of overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East, accompanied them when they called on the new Polish commander in Iraq. The contingent then proceeded to Kuwait, a source told Gulf News.
"Before the end of the day, all members of the Philippine team will be out of Iraq," Albert said, adding the return of the Philippine troops was being made by Philippine embassy officials in Kuwait.
A source told Gulf News said that the 34 remaining Philippine members and the 10 other members who had left Iraq last Friday, would link up in Kuwait and proceed to Manila aboard a Kuwait Airways flight.
The kidnappers of de la Cruz gave Philippine government until July 30 to withdraw all its troops in Iraq.
The news about the total pullout of Filipino team in Iraq and the possibility of an earlier release of de la Cruz sent excitement among the residents of his hometown. "I'm 100 per cent sure he is coming home," said Beth Reyes, the sister of de la Cruz.
But when asked about the arrival of de la Cruz, she said: "We don't know anything about that."Sources said that the wife of de la Cruz, Arsenia, and his brother, Jessie, would be meeting with the released OFW in Jordan.
De la Cruz has become a symbol of some eight million OFWs whose yearly remittances of $7 billion have kept the country's economy afloat.
With inputs from Estrella Torres
Gulf News
