Destruction caused by the attack in Hilla

By Rexcel Sorza, IOL Correspondent

ILOILO CITY , Philippines , February 19 (IslamOnline.net) – The Philippines announced Thursday, February 19, it would not pull out the Filipino humanitarian and peacekeeping contingent in Iraq despite Wednesday’s attack that left 11 Iraqis killed and 12 Filipinos among the wounded.

“We condemn the continued violence in Iraq ,” President Gloria Arroyo said in a statement issued Thursday, adding, “The latest terrorist attack will not deter us. It only strengthens our resolve to help the people of Iraq in rebuilding their lives.”

Arroyo also said she is “thankful that no member of our humanitarian contingent was killed or seriously injured in the car bomb attack near Camp Charlie , where our contingent is staying.”

She commended the leaders and members of the 96-member contingent for the safety and security measures that they have taken that helped keep them safe.

Arroyo instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs “to closely monitor the situation and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of our brave men and women in Iraq .”

Defending the decision to send in troops and boosting their job in Iraq , the Filipino Foreign Affairs department announced that all 96 members of the contingent in Iraq , which left in August 2003 for a six-month tour of duty, “are safe and secure.”

“I have spoken to Charge d’Affaires Eric Endaya, who is one of our most experienced hands in the Middle East and who was with me when I was assigned to Baghdad . He told me that all the members of our Humanitarian Contingent are safe,” Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Rafael Seguis told IslamOnline.net Thursday.

Seguis added that Endaya told him “because of some flying debris like glass fragments from nearby buildings, twelve members of our Contingent suffered some scratches.”

Seguis said that seven from the Armed Forces of the Philippines , three from the Philippine National Police and two from the Department of Health are being treated for superficial wounds after a bomb exploded near Camp Charlie , in Hillah, 60 miles south of Baghdad .

However, Senator Manuel Villar, Senate foreign relations committee chairman, reiterated his call for return of Filipino peacekeepers and humanitarian workers from Iraq .

He said the lives of the Filipinos are now in greater danger than ever. “Let us not wait for our fellow Filipinos to be killed then decide to leave,” he told IslamOnline.net.

He also pointed out that the “mistake for the government to support the U.S.-led attack on Iraq ” was made even worse with the sending of the contingent without any request from any nation. “It is risking the precious lives of our soldiers," Villar, who was strongly opposed to the U.S.-led war, added.

But Seguis further expressed the Philippines ’ “strong condemnation over this recent attack” while extending “our deepest sympathies to the families of the two Iraqi civilians who were killed and pray for the quick recovery of those injured.”

“We are also in close touch with our Contingent and they have taken additional measures to ensure their security. I have instructed Mr. Eric Endaya to immediately proceed to Camp Charlie to give us a further assessment of the situation,” Seguis further said.

He said that he has asked the Filipino contingent’s commander “to take all additional measures that he deems necessary to protect the lives and safety of our people.”

Seguis said that he has forwarded a recommendation to Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Albert, who is currently on an official visit to Laos , and to President Arroyo that the Philippine contingent be made to stay in Iraq “unless it is clear that there is a direct threat to their safety.”

“The safety of our contingent members is of paramount concern. At present, there are no direct threats to our people,” Seguis pointed out.

He also stressed that the Filipino contingent members “have an excellent working relationship with the Iraqi people and have received recognition not only from the Coalition and the international media, but also from all sectors of Iraqi society for the great job that they are doing.”

“They are making a big difference in the lives of the Iraqi people and represent the best that the Philippines has to offer in contributing to the future of Iraq and to the stability of the Middle East,” he added.

Seguis further said: “We will not let terror defeat us. We share in the resolve of all the other members of the Coalition, particularly those which have suffered in terms of lives lost, to stay in Iraq and to help the people of Iraq create a free, democratic and pluralistic society.”