RP envoy: Pinoys in Iraq safe

KUWAIT —Special envoy Roy Cimatu, chairman of the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Committee (PMEPC), said yesterday that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Iraq, particularly those at Camp Victory in Baghdad, were safe.

"Our OFWs in Camp Victory in Baghdad are sound and safe. They are in high spirits," said Cimatu in a statement.

The former AFP chief of staff issued the statement after being briefed of a visit to the camp by officials of the Philippine embassy in Baghdad led by chargé d’affaires Ricardo Endaya.

Cimatu, who is presently in Kuwait, had been assigned by President Arroyo to oversee preparations for the protection of OFWs trapped in war-torn Iraq.

An estimated 2,000 Filipino workers are employed in the US Camp Victory, mostly in its catering and maintenance departments.

Cimatu said that most of the Filipino workers in the camp expressed their "desire to continue working in Baghdad."

The exceptions are two OFWs who requested repatriation for reasons unrelated to the Iraqi situation.

"We have relayed this information to the employer, who is now making arrangements to repatriate the two," Cimatu said.

As part of his assignment, Cimatu has activated Task Force Iraq. Endaya heads the task force as team leader, with Labor Attaché Angelo Jimenez and Philippine Humanitarian Contingent to Iraq head Brig. Gen. Jovito Palparan as members. It will be augmented by members of the PHCI.

The mission of the task force, Cimatu said, is to establish contact with OFWs in other parts of Iraq and to communicate to them what they need to do when they need to be evacuated.

Cimatu said he is also coordinating with Philippine missions in other Middle East countries that may be affected by the heightened tension in Iraq. The embassies have been instructed to issue periodic advisories to OFWs in their jurisdiction about the security situation in the region.