RP team leaves for Iraq May 15

An initial nine members of the Philippine humanitarian and peacekeeping contingent to Iraq will leave on May 15, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said yesterday.

Reyes, who co-chairs with Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople the inter-agency Philippine humanitarian and peacekeeping mission to Iraq created by President Arroyo, asserted that Filipinos are not going to Iraq uninvited.

The Philippine government, Reyes claimed, has been verbally requested by the United States Armed Forces’ Central Command "to frontload" or give priority to the humanitarian mission to respond to the needs of the war-stricken Iraqi people.

Reyes told The STAR the decision of Mrs. Arroyo to send a 500-member Philippine humanitarian and peacekeeping team to Iraq was based on the Geneva Convention of 1949 and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1472.

The Geneva Convention of 1949 calls on the international community to assist victims of occupied territories, while United Nations Security Council Resolution 1472 called on members of the UN to assist the Iraqis.

"Our Constitution says we accept and adopt general principles of international laws as laws of the land," Reyes explained.

He scoffed at criticisms that the Philippine team has not been invited by either the Iraqis or US-led coalition forces to Iraq.

"There’s no Iraqi government to speak of. Saddam Hussein has already been ousted from power," he said, adding that there is only a de facto administration being run by the "coalition of the willing" headed by retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, the designated representative of the US Defense Department Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Office (ORHA).

Reyes said a three-member team composed of Col. Antonio Villarete from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao from the Philippine National Police and Dr. Evangeline Cruzado of the Department of Health has been coordinating the deployment of the Philippine mission to Iraq with the ORHA.

On the reported P627-million funding needed for the six-month stay of the 500-member Philippine mission, Reyes said that it was just an initial estimate. He said it can still be reduced with the deployment of a smaller number of peacekeeping personnel.

As outlined by the government, the 500-member contingent is composed of 300 personnel from AFP, 100 from the PNP, 60 from the DOH, 39 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and one from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Reyes said the bulk of the AFP contingent may consist of medical staff.

He admitted though that there may be a short delay before the Philippines could send the full 500-man contingent due to funding problems. Moreover, the Philippines have to first forge a status of forces agreement (SOFA) with Kuwait and Qatar.

The first nine members of the Philippine team will fly on May 15 to Qatar, then to Kuwait. From Kuwait, the mission will proceed to Iraq.