MANILA, 27 July 2004 — The last batch of Filipino troops, who were pulled out of Iraq to save a truck driver from execution by militants, arrived home in the Philippines yesterday.

The group of 27 soldiers and seven policemen arrived before dawn at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport aboard a commercial flight from Kuwait, where they stayed after leaving Baghdad.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the withdrawal of the country’s 51-member humanitarian mission last week in compliance with the captors of truck driver Angelo dela Cruz.

The militants had threatened to execute dela Cruz if the troops did not leave before their scheduled departure on Aug. 20.

Arroyo, who was severely criticized by the United States and other allies for the withdrawal, has said she did not regret her decision.

She stressed that she was acting on the interest of the country’s more than eight million foreign workers, more than one million of whom are working in the Middle East, including 4,000 in Iraq.

The Philippine mission had built 27 schools, 11 water treatment plants and health centers, as well as conducted civic and medical missions during their almost one-year stay in Iraq.

Manila Urges Allies to Stop

Finger-Pointing on Terrorism

The government, meanwhile, urged its allies to stop blaming it for allegedly emboldening terrorists after its troop withdrawal from Iraq. Deputy presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo said countries must instead continue to work together to fight terrorism.

“Let us stop blaming each other,” Saludo said. “Let us instead boost our cooperation to fight terrorism, which continues to victimize all of us.” Saludo added that the government’s decision to comply with militants who threatened to execute an abducted Filipino truck driver was not solely to be blamed for emboldening terrorists.

“They are not just after getting concessions, but a major part of their goal is to get publicity for their threats and violent acts,” Saludo said. “So we must all work together to stop them.”

The United States and Australia have strongly criticized the Philippine government for withdrawing its 51-member humanitarian contingent from Iraq to save truck driver Angelo dela Cruz.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on Sunday accused the Philippines of encouraging terrorism when it caved in to the demands of the Iraqi militants.

He said that because the Philippines capitulated to the militants, more hostages were taken in Iraq after dela Cruz was freed last week.

Philippine National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said Downer’s allegations were “very narrow minded”, stressing that the government needed to protect millions of overseas Filipino workers.

“Our condition is different,” he said. “We have over a million Filipinos in the Middle East and we need to safeguard them.” Gonzales added that Australia and other countries in the coalition that invaded Iraq should review why the insurgency has intensified in recent months despite efforts to quell it.

Downer again blasted the Philippines for bowing to a terrorist threat while reiterating that Canberra, however, would not withdraw its troops from Iraq even a week early to save the life of an Australian hostage.

“If you give in to the terrorists in one particular case ... all you’re doing is empowering and emboldening them,” Downer told a local radio station.

“You’ve seen since the Philippines withdrawal, you’ve seen a spate of hostage-taking in Iraq,” Downer said. “If these terrorists want to achieve certain objectives and they know by taking people hostage they can achieve them, it’s the cheapest and easiest way to do their job.”