Pinoy peacekeepers to complete duty

MANILA, Philippines - Released after three days at the hands of Syrian rebels, 21 Filipino peacekeepers left Amman, Jordan late yesterday afternoon (Philippine time) to resume their tour of duty in the Golan Heights, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez told reporters in a text message that the Filipino peacekeepers had undergone further debriefing prior to their redeployment.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said that despite their ordeal, the group is raring to complete their job at Golan Heights.

The 21 form part of the 333 Filipino peacekeeping contingent deployed last November to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). The group’s tour of duty ends this May.

Burgos said that the Syrian rebels treated the Filipino soldiers well and even cancelled their release twice to ensure their safety.

“Their release was cancelled twice because their captors were very particular with our soldiers’ safety,” Burgos said, citing reports from the Filipino peacekeepers themselves.

With the hostage incident, an American think tank said the war in Syria is spilling over its borders, threatening not only its neighbors but also the long-established United Nations peacekeeping forces deployed along the border with Israel.

The Filipino UN peacekeepers were taken captive by Syrian rebels last March 6 while on a logistic run at the Golan Heights, an area marked by intense fighting between Israeli and Syrian forces in 1974.

They were released to Jordanian immigration authorities last Saturday. – Pia Lee-Brago, Jaime Laude