JEDDAH, 8 June 2004 — Philippine Ambassador to the Kingdom Bahnarim Guinomla confirmed yesterday in a telephone interview from Riyadh, that the Philippine Embassy had received anonymous threats against Filipinos in the Kingdom.
“We received two threats: One was a letter mailed from Jeddah and the other was an e-mail message. We turned over the letter to the diplomatic police for investigation,” said the envoy.
The threats said Filipinos would be targeted by terrorists because of the pro-American policies of the Arroyo administration, and were sent to the embassy more than two weeks ago.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been one of US President George W. Bush’s most vocal supporters in Asia, fully backing his war on terror, and insisting on sending a small contingent of Filipino policemen and doctors to assist in the US occupation and rebuilding of Iraq.
Several Filipinos have already been killed and wounded in the terror attacks against foreigners in this country, with three killed in the Alkhobar attacks on May 29-30.
Ambassador Guinomla met with Filipino community leaders in Riyadh this week to discuss the security situation, and issued an advisory to all Filipinos living in the Kingdom to take care and maintain vigilance in their daily routines.
In an interview aired on The Filipino Channel last Friday, the ambassador even went as far as to advise Filipinos to avoid going out too much into public places, except for work and when shopping for food and basic necessities.
With an estimated 900,000 Filipinos working in the Kingdom, getting them all to avoid going out is an almost impossible task. And many Filipinos are already panicking, worried about their lives and futures if they are targeted next by the terrorists.
One Filipino worker in Jeddah, who asked not to be identified, told Arab News that he now felt apprehensive and paranoid walking in Balad and shopping at the Corniche Shopping Center, a well-known congregation point for Filipinos. “I feel vulnerable as a Filipino. What will happen if we are targeted next? I’m not ready to go back and live in the Philippines,” he said.
Guinomla told Arab News that the embassy is monitoring the situation in the Kingdom, and that it will now regularly issue advisories to Filipinos living here, including possibly in Tagalog, in order to reach a wider audience.
