RIYADH, 5 November 2004 - Members of the Filipino community in the Kingdom yesterday rallied support for the Philippine government's efforts to secure the release of two compatriots being held hostage by militant groups in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"In a crisis like this, we should join hands to help save the life of a compatriot," said Buddy Alpuerto of the advisory council of the Saudi Arabia Hiligaynon in Alkhobar.
He said the crisis is not a concern of the government alone.
Philippine diplomats in the Middle East are to meet with Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo in Dubai today to discuss possible ways of dealing with the abduction of Roberto "Bobby" Tarongoy, an accountant who was seized with three others on Monday by Iraqi militants.
"I am leaving shortly to confer with Foreign Secretary Romulo to discuss the matter with him," Guinomla told Arab News last night in a telephone interview.
Romulo is in Dubai to pay tribute to the late United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Zayed ibn Sultan Al-Nahayan.
Earlier, he instructed the Guinomla to talk with Tarongoy's employer in Riyadh to ask their help in securing their employee's freedom. Tarongoy is employed by the Saudi Arabian Trading and Construction Company (SATCCo), which caters food to American soldiers in Iraq.
While Labor officials in Manila continued to disown Tarongoy by saying he violated the Iraq ban imposed by the Philippine government on Filipino workers, Romulo had said the government will have to exhaust all means to secure his freedom.
He also instructed the Philippine envoy in Baghdad, Eric Endaya, to seek contacts that could lead to Tarongoy's freedom.
"The government move is laudable and the call for all Filipinos - Christians and Muslims - to pray for the safety of Tarongoy helps in no uncertain terms. It lifts the morale of Tarongoy as well as that of his family, especially his wife," said Benny M. Quiambao, president of the Calabarzon group in Riyadh.
In Alkhobar, Jojie Apolinario, overall chairman of All Filipino Community and Sports Commission (AFSCOM), voiced the same sentiment. "We join hands with the embassy officials in helping secure the freedom of, and join our fellow Filipinos in praying, for Tarongoy," Apolinario said.
Ambassador Guinomla said he has instructed Philippine labor officials in the Kingdom to ask owners of Saudi transport and trucking firms employing Filipino drivers not to allow them cross the border to Iraq.
An embassy statement said that vehicular travel to Iraq at all times is extremely dangerous" as there has been documented attacks on civilian vehicles as well military convoys through the use of improvised explosive devises and road mines.
The ban is further justified by roadside bombings and indiscriminate targeting of civilians and non-combatants in Iraq.
Filipino community leaders have expressed support for the government move in exploring all possible means of securing the release of Tarongoy, like enlisting the help of countries in the region.
Officials hoped that the latest kidnapping would discourage other Filipinos from sneaking into Iraq. Hundreds of jobseekers have been protesting in Manila to demand the lifting of the deployment ban, saying they would rather die working in Iraq than die starving at home.
Even before Tarongoy's abduction, at least 21 Filipinos have left Iraq, "fearing for their safety," according to administrator Marianito Roque of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
Roque said the workers resigned from their jobs in Tikrit, one of the scenes of violence in Iraq, and left for nearby Kuwait. "They are expected within the next two weeks," he said.
Roque stressed that the government was reviewing its contingency plans in Iraq, including the evacuation of about 6,000 OFWs there.
"We are prepared for an evacuation, although we have a standing voluntary repatriation program for those who feel that they are at risk. They can approach their companies or the embassy and we will arrange for their repatriation," he said.
