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PHL Foreign Affairs chief to check on Pinoys in Iraq
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario will visit Iraq this Sunday to assess the security and safety of Filipinos amid the escalating violence there. After the United States pulled out its forces from Iraq Del Rosario said the violence there may have been worse than they expected. In a news release of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Del Rosario said, "We had expected some increase in violence after the US Forces pullout, but not to the extent that it has happened. It has been reported, for instance, that there have been 29 incidents of violence in the 15-day period from 1-15 January 2012, 14 of which were in Baghdad." On January 24, four car bombs exploded in Baghdad, killing 14 people and wounding 75. The US pulled out its troops last December 18. While nearly 4,000 Filipinos were secured by the US military, the US troop pullout has significantly reduced the number of Filipinos in Iraq and has also resulted in a diminution of their security, the DFA noted. "In addition, we further believe that there may be undocumented Filipinos working as household service workers and we are, therefore, fully committed to ensuring the safety and welfare of all our countrymen in Iraq," Del Rosario said. Del Rosario said the challenge after the US pullout is to find out how many Filipinos are left, where they are, and the quality of their security. "We believe that their security may have become questionable and we may need to take them out of harm's way," he said. Security assessment Del Rosario added another objective of his visit to Iraq this Sunday is to undertake a security assessment. "We may have to declare a crisis level that would require repatriation," he said. He added the resumption in operations of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad may help the DFA make on-the-ground assessments. While in Iraq, Del Rosario will meet with Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad. The officials who will accompany Del Rosario to Iraq are:
- DFA Undersecretary for Administration Rafael Seguis,
- DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers'Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr., and
- DFA Assistant Secretary for Middle East And African Affairs Petronila Garcia.
