Angelo dela Cruz to run for Pampanga councilor

Two and a half years after his abduction in war-torn Iraq, erstwhile truck driver Angelo dela Cruz has decided to run for councilor in his hometown of Mexico, Pampanga under the ruling Lakas-CMD party. Radio station dzBB said the formal announcement will be made on Tuesday afternoon in Pampanga, the bailiwick of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. His decision comes at a time when many Lakas mayors shifted to Arroyo's Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi). Dela Cruz's abduction in 2004 pushed RP-US relations to the limit, after President Arroyo complied with his abductors' demands and ordered the pullout of a small Philippine military contingent performing humanitarian mission. The move drew flak at that time from the American government, which has a had a long-standing policy of not negotiating with "terrorists" including the al-Qaeda network. The Philippines has maintained its deployment ban of Filipino workers to Iraq. Dela Cruz, who was held in captivity for nearly three weeks, had previously bemoaned having a hard time making ends meet now that he is back on Philippine shores. - GMANews.TV