Tarongoy: For 8 months, I was kept in the dark

Filipino accountant Robert Tarongoy came home yesterday after nearly eight months as a hostage in Iraq, during which he was kept blindfolded by Iraqi militants.

"For eight months, I was kept in the dark… I did not feel sunshine. My eyes are still aching," Tarongoy, a native of Davao City, said after arriving on a Gulf Air flight from Abu Dhabi, his voice full of emotion as flashbulbs popped around him.

Tarongoy arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport wearing dark sunglasses and surrounded by members of a "crisis team" who brokered his release.

At the airport to welcome him were presidential adviser for Middle East affairs Roy Cimatu and Angel Atutubo, Manila International Airport Authority assistant manager for security and emergency services.

Tarongoy was later taken to Malacañang for an emotional reunion with his family and a meeting with President Arroyo, whom he thanked effusively for his freedom.

"The government did a lot. If Madame (President) did not do anything, I would no longer be alive today," he said.

The President delivered a very brief message before presenting Tarongoy to the media. "To the Filipino people, thank God and welcome back, Robert Tarongoy," she said in Filipino.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement that the government, by "staying the course against all odds," won the struggle to secure Tarongoy’s safe release.

"It was his courage and the perseverance of the Iraq crisis team that sealed our victory," Bunye said.

The emaciated 32-year-old tearfully begged off recounting full details of his captivity, saying he still suffers from the trauma and stress of captivity and wants privacy first with his family.

He said he was not aware where he was kept but was driven by his captors to be handed over to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis and his team of negotiators in Baghdad.

Seguis said he was "ecstatic" to see Tarongoy reunited with his family and the Tarongoys’ happiness made the months his team spent in Iraq worthwhile.

"A man once lost has found his way home. A terrible nightmare has turned into a beautiful journey’s end," Seguis said. "It is worth the long, lonely nights and days of fear and waiting and danger. It is worth the long roller coaster ride of hope and discouragement and of hope, again."

ABS-CBN said Tarongoy related on the plane home that he was regularly beaten and poked with gun barrels by his captors.

"Thank God I was given a second lease on life. Thank you, President Arroyo, for not forsaking me and for supporting me for the past eight months," Tarongoy said on arrival, holding back tears.

"Iraq is a heavy burden to me," he told reporters, recalling that he prayed repeatedly during his confinement to return safely to the Philippines.

Tarongoy was freed Wednesday by Iraqi militants calling themselves the Jaish al-Mujahedeen or "Army of Holy Warriors." He was kidnapped Nov. 1 along with American Roy Hallums from the Baghdad office of the Saudi Trading Corp. after a gun battle that killed an Iraqi guard and an attacker. A Nepalese and three Iraqis were abducted and later freed.

There was no immediate word on Hallums. The US Embassy in Manila condemned the kidnapping of civilians in Iraq and said Tarongoy’s captors should be brought to justice.

Foreign Undersecretary Jose Brillantes said Tarongoy lost weight but was unharmed. He stressed no ransom was paid.

"Those who speculate are putting the lives of our overseas workers in danger," Brillantes said, referring to "mercenaries out there who think there would be something to gain in doing these things."

Several Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan, along with Muslim clerics, helped to get Tarongoy released, officials said.

Anticipating a big crowd of journalists and onlookers to welcome him in Manila late yesterday, Tarongoy asked for a quiet moment with his family upon his return.

"I hope you would understand. I want to be given some moments with my family, my wife, my mother and father and siblings. I want to rest," he said.

His family in Davao City was overwhelmed with emotion, saying they will offer a thanksgiving Mass. Adorning the Tarongoys’ residence were yellow ribbons and streamers that read, "Thank you Lord. Welcome home, Bobby."

Tarongoy’s wife, Ivy, said his release ended an agonizing wait.

"It was a roller-coaster feeling," she said. "At one point there was news of his release, but it turned out to be false. It was terrible, but now all the prayers of relatives and friends have paid off."

News of his release reached Tarongoy’s family on the third anniversary of his marriage.

"We are so happy. I do not know what to say," Tarongoy’s mother, Isabelita, said. She added that their family never gave up hope and "just prayed and prayed" for his release.

Elizabeth said her brother’s release actually fulfilled a promise he made before he was taken hostage that he would return home by June this year.

The release was also a relief for Mrs. Arroyo, who has been grappling with bad news — including accusations that her family pocketed illegal gambling payoffs and that she rigged last year’s elections — for over a month. The charges set off fresh coup rumors and the most serious political challenge to her presidential term.

Tarongoy is the second Filipino hostage to be released in Iraq. Truck driver Angelo de la Cruz was freed last July 22 after the Philippine government granted the militants’ demand by withdrawing its small peacekeeping contingent from Iraq early — a decision strongly criticized by the US and other allies, but applauded at home.

After De la Cruz’s abduction, the government banned additional deployment of Filipino workers to Iraq. About 6,000 Filipinos now work in US military camps across Iraq, mostly as cooks and maintenance personnel.

Despite the successful release of Tarongoy, the ban remains in effect, according to Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, who added Tarongoy’s abduction should serve as a warning to OFWs against sneaking into Iraq despite the government’s ban.

Sto. Tomas said the Labor department is ready to assist Tarongoy to find new employment, either in the Philippines or elsewhere.

"If he wants another overseas jobs, we guarantee that jobs offered him are legitimate and would entitle him to welfare benefits," she said.

Meanwhile, Vice President Noli de Castro lauded Seguis and his team of negotiators who worked for Tarongoy’s release.

"This feat should remind us that our government, despite the controversies hounding it, continues to work for the welfare of each citizen, unperturbed in attending to the needs of the nation," De Castro said.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo thanked the officers and staff of Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera for the opportunities they gave him to reach out to Tarongoy’s abductors. Videos of Tarongoy being held by captors had been aired by Al-Jazeera.

Ambassador Amable Aguiluz V, special envoy to the Gulf Cooperation Council, said the peaceful resolution of this crisis is "a celebration of our strength amidst turmoil" and a "victory for the Filipino people."

Sen. Manuel Villar called on the government to "continue to be vigilant in slapping penalties to recruitment and travel agencies which circumvent the (deployment) ban."— With reports from Aurea Calica, Edith Regalado, Pia Lee-Brago, Mayen Jaymalin, Christina Mendez, AP, AFP