6 Filipino military observers in Ivory Coast safe - AFP

MANILA, Philippines -  Six Filipino United Nations military observers in Ivory Coast are safe, the Armed Forces said yesterday.

Lt. Col. George Tagle, one of the Filipino UN military observers, reported heavy fighting between the loyalists of Alassane Ouattara and supporters of his rival, Ivory Coast leader Laurent Gbagbo. 

Tagle, an Air Force colonel, said pro-Gbagbo forces are targeting the UN headquarters.

They are trapped in the basement of the Seborko hotel, he added.

AFP public affairs chief Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said Tagle is part of the staff staying outside the hotel.

Tagle was in his residence at Graciela Apartment since March 30 when the fighting erupted, he added.

AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. assured the nation that the Filipino military observers are out of danger.

“His (Tagle) fellow Filipino UN military observers are safe and out of danger,” he added.

“This only manifests the dedication and commitment of our Filipino UN observers whom we have sent to restore peace in a foreign land.”

Oban lauded the six military observers for remaining loyal to their mission “despite the dangerous circumstances and threats to their lives.”

AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. said the Filipino UN observers will not be pulled out despite the fierce fighting in the Ivory Coast.

“It is the UN that will decide if there is need to change the status of their deployment,” he said.

Other Filipino soldiers in Ivory Coast are Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jorge Vicente Aganan Jr., Lt. Col. Emilio Felicen, Army majors Marces Gayat and Arthur Romanillos, and Air Force Maj. Randy Bance.

The UN Operation in Ivory Coast was established in 2004 through the Security Council’s Resolution 1528.