Philippine President Gloria Arroyo was defiant yesterday in the face of harsh US criticism of the recall of Philippine troops from Iraq to save a hostage's life, as the freed man arrived in his impoverished hometown to a hero's welcome.
The US envoy to Manila, Francis Ricciardone, was meanwhile en route to Washington to explain domestic pressures that led to Arroyo's decision to pull out the Philippines' 51-member contingent of troops earlier than scheduled.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday added to previous US criticism of the troop withdrawal, which was completed on Monday -- a month ahead of schedule, saying that "in effect the kidnappers were rewarded for kidnapping."
PHOTO: EPA
"We were very disappointed in the actions of the Philippine government," he said. "I'm pleased that the Filipino gentleman was returned home safely, but I think a very high price was paid for the policy position that the Philippine government took."
Arroyo said she did not regret her decision to recall the country's small contingent to serve national interest by saving kidnapped truck driver Angelo de la Cruz.
While denying a "break in strategic partnership" with the US, Arroyo said her government had to protect the millions of Filipino workers abroad.
"I trust that our allies will come to understand that the Philippines is in a special circumstance unlike the US, Australia, Bulgaria and other countries," Arroyo said, referring to other countries that have troops in Iraq.
"And as Angelo comes home, I am not about to bare a bleeding heart to defend my position," Arroyo said during a major policy speech. "It won't take more than three lines to summarize my case, and let me say them."
"One, I take responsibility. Two, I make no apologies. Three, I stuck to my oath," she said.
Arroyo had vowed to save de la Cruz, who was seized while driving a truck on July 4. The Iraqi militants who captured him had threatened to behead him if the Philippines did not withdraw its troops.
Analysts said she was afraid of angering the estimated 7 million Filipinos working abroad if she let de la Cruz die. These workers are a formidable constituency, whose billions of dollars in remittances keep the economy afloat.
De la Cruz arrived back in the Philippines on Thursday and yesterday traveled home to his village of Buenavista, north of Manila.
Thousands milled the streets to greet him as marching bands preceded the entry of the van carrying him and his family. Crowds mobbed the vehicle, eager to get a glimpse of the figure that Arroyo dubbed "a Filipino everyman."
"I want to thank President Arroyo and our government," de la Cruz told the crowd. "Our president gave first priority to saving my life. I won't forget that."
He was to join Arroyo later yesterday for a thanksgiving mass.
The US envoy to Manila traveled to Washington on Thursday for talks with officials that would include the troop withdrawal, US charge d'affaires Joseph Mussomeli said.
The issue was not the life of one man or the war in Iraq, he said. Rather, it was "that the Philippines is seen as taking orders from terrorists" to save a hostage, Mussomeli said.
Four people jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of "47 democrats" accused of conspiracy to commit subversion were freed today after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month. Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham (岑子杰), who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021. "Let me spend some time with my family," Sham said after arriving at his home in the Kowloon district of Jordan. "I don’t know how to plan ahead because, to me, it feels
Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election today between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner would succeed Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term. The outcome would determine whether Poland embraces a nationalist populist trajectory or pivots more fully toward liberal, pro-European policies. An exit poll by Ipsos would be released when polls close today at 9pm local time, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Final results are expected tomorrow. Whoever wins can be expected to either help or hinder the
North Korea has detained another official over last week’s failed launch of a warship, which damaged the naval destroyer, state media reported yesterday. Pyongyang announced “a serious accident” at Wednesday last week’s launch ceremony, which crushed sections of the bottom of the new destroyer. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called the mishap a “criminal act caused by absolute carelessness.” Ri Hyong-son, vice department director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Party Central Committee, was summoned and detained on Sunday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. He was “greatly responsible for the occurrence of the serious accident,” it said. Ri is the fourth person
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts said. Footage of the collapse on Wednesday showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside into the hamlet of Blatten. Swiss Development Cooperation disaster risk reduction adviser Ali Neumann said that while the role of climate change in the case of Blatten “still needs to be investigated,” the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. “Climate change and
RSS