Filipinos force troop withdrawal from Iraq
By Lydia Bayoneta
Editor's note: Angelo de la Cruz was released on
July 20.
Under enormous pressure from the Filipino
people, President Gloria Arroyo has withdrawn the Philippine
military contingent from Iraq. She also froze the further
deployment of Filipino civilian workers to that country.
The decision of the Philippine government to withdraw from
the so-called "Coali tion of the Willing" grew out of a crisis
sparked by the kidnapping and threatened beheading of Angelo de
la Cruz by Iraqi insurgents. De la Cruz is an overseas Filipino
worker (OFW), the father of eight, from a desperately poor
village in central Luzon. He is one of 3,800 Filipino civilian
workers in Iraq.
The Iraqi resistance fighters demanded that the Filipino
government withdraw its troops by July 31.
From the time the kidnapping became known, a growing wave of
resistance swept the Philippines, denouncing Filipino
involvement in the U.S. occupation and demanding that the
Philippine government act to save de la Cruz's life.
Large and militant demonstrations and protests broke out,
not only in Manila, but nationwide and even internationally.
There were pitched battles with police.
The government attempt to crush the resistance went so far
as virtually kidnapping de la Cruz's wife and immediate family,
hoping to keep them from making statements to the press.
But it was unsuccessful on all fronts. Despite her previous
assurances to the U.S. that she would "hold firm," Arroyo's
government finally announced that the Philippine troops would
be coming home.
"Keep in mind that prior to this, she was a staunch
supporter of the United States. The only logical explanation
for this change in her policy and her willingness to risk
disappointing the United States, is to tame the protests at
home," said Teodoro Casino, a congressperson of the progressive
political party Bayan Muna.
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, chairperson of the Philippine Senate
committee on national defense and security, revealed the
dilemma of the Arroyo government: This crisis "is not just
about the life of one Filipino," he said. A "competing need" is
to maintain political stability. "Main taining stability is
more compelling than our need to cooperate [with the U.S.] in
this confused war," he added.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan responded to U.S. critics of the
decision bluntly: "The Philippines cannot hope to keep its
commitments to the international efforts in Iraq if it is
unable to marshal critical support back home."
Although some in the U.S. have tried to downplay the
Philippine withdrawal, Filipinos believe the decision has dealt
a blow to the U.S.-led international contingent in Iraq,
already weakened by Spain's pullout. Thailand has also
announced the withdrawal of 451 troops, ignoring an appeal by
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.
The U.S. government was quite harsh in its criticism. On
July 14, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell publicly
criticized the Manila government, while a U.S. diplomat
stationed in Manila described Arroyo's move as "very serious
and damaging" to Manila's relationship with Washington. He said
the U.S. did not expect this from Arroyo, who is widely
considered the strongest supporter of the U.S. in Southeast
Asia, and who has received by far the biggest military aid in
the region.
The plight of Filipino workers
Demands for the withdrawal of Philip pine troops from Iraq
came not only from their homeland but from the millions of
Filipino workers laboring overseas.
The Saudi Arabia chapter of Migrante International sent a
petition to the Philip pine government calling for the pullout
of Filipino troops from Iraq to save the life of Angelo de la
Cruz. It stated that OFW "community leaders in Riyadh not only
call for the unconditional pullout of Philippine troops from
Iraq" but also for the Philippine government "to caution itself
against giving out statements that openly support the U.S.
occupation in Iraq."
Filipino community leaders representing 26 organizations
signed the petition.
Over 940,000 Filipino workers are working in Saudi Arabia
alone. OFWs now number 10 million in many other countries
across the globe. These workers account for half the
Philippine's annual Gross Domestic Product.
The large number of overseas workers is accounted for by the
desperate poverty which exists in the Philippine homeland.
Battered by neocolonial policies, a staggering debt,
restrictions by the IMF and World Bank, and the "most severe
unemployment crisis this country has recorded," Filipino
workers face a tragic choice: to starve at home or risk abuse,
injury and even death overseas.
One Baghdad-bound woman angrily told reporters at the Manila
airport: "If I die in Iraq at least I'm sure my three children
will get something out of my death. If I remained here we will
die hungry."
According to the Philippine National Wages and Productivity
Commission, the family living wage in metro Manila is pegged at
$319.41 a month to meet minimum food and non-food requirements.
For those who can get a job, the minimum wage is $118.30 a
month. Filipino workers in Iraq are paid about $800 per month,
although this often means overtime with no pay and no days off.
It is worth noting, however, that employers in Iraq, like the
notorious Haliburton company, are paying Filipinos less than
the U.S. minimum wage.
Angelo de la Cruz has been portrayed by the U.S. government
and press as a "victim of terrorism." It is clear that, in
reality, de la Cruz and millions like him are victims of the
U.S. war of conquest in Iraq and of imperialist exploitation in
the Philippines and around the world. By forcing the Philippine
government to withdraw its contingent, the Filipino people have
struck a blow at the real terrorists.
Sources for this article include Bulatlat.com, Philippine
Star and People First.
Reprinted from the July 29, 2004, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyrighted
under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe to WW by Email: wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Donate to
support pro-labor, anti-war news.
Email
this article
Printable
page