A 14-man team headed by former military chief is expected to arrive in Kuwait today to prepare thousands of Filipinos working near the border with Iraq for possible evacuation in the event of war.
Former armed forces chief Roy Cimatu, who has been designated special envoy by President Gloria Arroyo, will be leading a contingent comprising labour officials and diplomats as well as nine chemical and biological warfare experts who are expected to conduct seminars for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait.
Maj. Lito Tabangcura, during a press briefing at the presidential palace shortly before they left the capital yesterday, told reporters that they will be educating OFWs on what to do in case Iraq uses chemical and biological weapons.
"Basically we are going there to help the embassy educate the OFWs especially on what actions to take in case chemical and biological weapons are used in the conflict," he said.
He added that they would be distributing pamphlets dealing with the dangers of chemical and biological weapons and evasive measures to take.
Cimatu earlier said that 6,000 OFWs who work near the Kuwait-Iraq border must be moved to safer areas in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia once the hostilities begin.
About 108 Filipinos, mostly embassy personnel and UN aid workers, are in Iraq, most of them in Baghdad.
"They would be moved to Amman before the hostilities start," Cimatu said.
The former military chief said the preparations they will be taking should not alarm Filipinos in the Middle East, who are estimated to be more than a million, most of whom are working in Saudi Arabia, while around 60,000 are in Kuwait.
"We hope that there will be no war. But in the event that there are hostilities, we are expecting that they be confined to Iraq and not spread to other countries. In case Iraq retaliates against any neighbouring country, we are prepared to move Filipinos based there," he said while pointing out that the evacuation would be voluntary.
He said that in case of a chemical or biological attack they would still be relying on the Kuwaiti government for vaccines.
Upon arriving in Kuwait, Cimatu will confer with Kuwaiti officials and will give them a letter from Arroyo.
"I will be asking them what security measures they will be adopting in case war erupts and also ask Kuwaiti employers what form of assistance they can provide to their Filipino workers," he said.
The former military chief said he will stay in Kuwait for at least a week and will assess the situation before inspecting the proposed relocation site near the border between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
He will also meet Filipino community leaders in the region. From Kuwait, Cimatu's team will move to Saudi Arabia and later to the UAE.
Gulf News 2003
