Arroyo sends Romulo to Middle East

President Arroyo has dispatched Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo to the Middle East as efforts to free two Filipinos held by Islamic militants in Afghanistan and Iraq continue.

Romulo flew to the United Arab Emirates yesterday and discussed with the Philippines’ ambassadors in the region the safety of the 1.5 million Filipino workers there following the recent upsurge of terror attacks.

Romulo is also in Abu Dhabi to represent Mrs. Arroyo at the funeral of UAE President Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who died last Nov. 3.

Manila is trying to secure the release of junior Filipino diplomat Angelito Nayan, who was abducted in Afghanistan, and Roberto Tarongoy, an accountant kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq.

Tarongoy was reportedly freed last Friday but it could not be confirmed.

Romulo is Mrs. Arroyo’s "man on the ground" as efforts to win the release of Nayan and Tarongoy continued, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told The STAR.

Romulo was in Bahrain when news about Tarongoy’s supposed release came out.

"He is monitoring the situation on the ground," Ermita said. "So it was easy for us to check such kind of information which was unverified. That is why we really want a restraint on information about these things because we do not want a repeat of the premature disclosures similar to what happened during the Angelo de la Cruz hostage-taking."

In July, Iraqi guerrillas resisting the US-led invasion snatched De la Cruz and threatened to behead the truck driver unless the Philippines’ 51-member troop contingent was withdrawn from Iraq.

De la Cruz was reported to have been released and Mrs. Arroyo broke the news to the truck driver’s family in Pampanga.

But the report turned out to be premature and the incident became an embarrassment for Mrs. Arroyo.

The hostage crisis also strained the Philippines’ ties with the United States following Mrs. Arroyo’s decision to cave in to De la Cruz’s captors.

Angered by the Philippine troop pullout, Washington and other allies said the withdrawal would embolden terrorists.

To avoid more hostage-takings, the government has banned the deployment of Filipinos to Iraq and has asked other countries to do the same.

Romulo reiterated Mrs. Arroyo’s instructions that Philippine envoys in the region ask countries neighboring Iraq to enforce the ban.

He has appealed to private companies involved in the reconstruction of Iraq to stop hiring Filipinos.