Into the seventh day of fighting between US-led coalition forces and Iraqi troops, President Arroyo conceded yesterday that the projections of a "swift" war in Iraq might take more than two weeks after all.
Even as she alerted Filipinos to brace for a conflict that would last from two weeks to two months, the President assured the public that the government, through its crisis management teams, has prepared contingency measures for "worst case scenarios."
The government, she said, is prepared to mitigate the impact of the Iraq war, especially on the socio-economic condition of the Philippines and Filipinos.
Interviewed Tuesday night on the GMA-7 news program "Front Page," Mrs. Arroyo said the fighting in Iraq may take longer than the government expected, given the stiff resistance of Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein’s Republican Guard. Sandstorms have also delayed the progress of coalition forces pushing into Baghdad.
"I did say it’s going to be quick," the President said. "I have been saying what we’re preparing for is two weeks to two months."
"In fact," she added, "in the Gulf War in 1991, (the conflict lasted) one month. We’re still within our projections."
The President reassured the Filipino people that the government’s contingency plans remain on track with government projections, including "worst case scenarios" that the Iraq war will last longer than two months.
"In worst case scenarios, we also have plans for (them) and we have seen how great our crisis managers were. Until now, there has been no panic buying, virtually no change of prices and the people are peaceful and calm," the Chief Executive said.
"You can expect (that) if we were able to prepare like this and prices are stable, in fact, prices of oil are declining, you can expect (the) worst case scenario has also been prepared for," Mrs. Arroyo said.
In her teleconference at Malacañang yesterday, the President instructed Middle East Preparedness Team (MEPT) chief and special envoy Roy Cimatu to maintain a high state of alert for developments in the Iraq war. Cimatu has been personally supervising the implementation of contingency plans for Filipino workers in the Middle East, along with the other Philippine ambassadors in the region.
"An enemy in the throes of defeat is prone to sow terror," the President said. "We have spared no effort in preparing for the worst, even if it has not come to pass."
"Let us not be complacent and let our guard down. Let’s be focused and calm and ride out the storm," the President said.
Cimatu told the president that coalition forces have made "re-adjustments" as they suffered setbacks and delays in advancing their troops to Baghdad.
He said the "intensified operations" of the coalition forces in Basra resulted in the destruction of Iraqi missile batteries and greatly reduced the threats to the safety of Filipino workers in nearby Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Cimatu also informed the President that he has advised the Philippine ambassadors in these Gulf states to alert workers in these countries against terrorist attacks following last Monday’s bombing in Bahrain and in Kuwait, both of which were prevented by "alert" local police.