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.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of