RP ready to close Baghdad embassy

The Philippine Embassy in Baghdad may close any time due to the impending US-led war against Iraq, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The DFA said embassy charge d’affaires Grace Escalante "is ready to leave anytime," based on her own assessment of the situation in the area.

In an interview, DFA Assistant Secretary Andy Mosquera said Escalante, as the official on the ground, was given the discretion to decide on the right time to close the embassy.

Mosquera said Escalante is accompanied at the embassy by an administrative officer, a communications officer, a local employee and a driver.

"We are just waiting for her to tell us that she is already leaving. She was asked to prepare to close the embassy anytime. It’s not yet today (Sunday) but anytime she wants to do so, we will approve and give her the go-signal," Mosquera told The STAR.

He said Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople gave Escalante such a prerogative because only a few Asian diplomats are left in Baghdad. Other embassy officials and staff have been evacuated to Jordan, along with their dependents.

The DFA is also delaying the assignment of a new Iraqi ambassador to Manila, apparently due to the threat of war breaking out in the Middle East.

On Feb. 12, the DFA expelled Iraqi Embassy Second Secretary Hushaim Husain for reported links with the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. At that time, the Iraqi government expressed its desire to send a new ambassador since its embassy in the country has been run only by a charge d’affaires for quite some time.

Ople said he wanted to welcome the new Iraqi ambassador at a more auspicious time and asked the Iraqi foreign ministry to cancel the assignment of Ghazi Faiza Hussein, who was supposed to arrive in February.

DFA sources explained there is no point in confirming an envoy from Iraq since a war is imminent, and the US is pushing for a regime change.

Ople also said he foresees war breaking out in the Middle East "in a matter of days" and not weeks, as the US has not received cooperation from the Iraqi side to destroy its weapons of mass destruction.

But Ople expressed hope that all diplomatic means will be exhausted to prevent war from erupting, due to its serious repercussions on the world economy.

At least 1.4 million Filipino workers may be affected by the war in the Gulf, the DFA said.

Malacañang, on the other hand, reiterated yesterday its stand on the impending US-Iraq war, saying it wanted the two countries to resolve their conflict diplomatically.

"The original position of the government is to resolve this issue within the framework of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said.

He added that President Arroyo will only convene the National Security Council (NSC) "if something drastic happens," and "if action is taken outside the UNSC framework."

"If there are changes in the conditions in the Middle East, then she’ll call the NSC to further discuss our moves," Bunye explained, adding that insofar as Ople’s assessment is concerned, war in the Gulf is "imminent."

Bunye also defended the government’s move in refusing to adopt an anti-war stand like that of France and Germany, noting that "it’s what’s been approved by the NSC."

Preparations for the relocation of Filipinos working in the Middle East have been in place, according to him, as the Middle East Preparedness Team in Kuwait is ready to "coordinate possible relocation of OFWs to a safe place."

DMIA fees waived

At Clark Field in Pampanga, the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) scrapped aeronautical fees at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) for all passenger flights chartered for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and balikbayans.

"This means that passenger flights taking off and landing at the DMIA will no longer be required to pay landing, take-off, parking or lighting fees if the aircraft is loaded with Filipinos returning from abroad," said DMIA general manager Bienvenido Manga.

CDC president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Angeles stressed, however, that the offer applies to all airlines that fly into the country not only from the Middle East, but also from other parts of the world.

"We hope this measure would benefit primarily OFWs whose families are in Central and Northern Luzon," he said, citing statistics from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration that 40 percent of the country’s seven million OFWs are from the two areas in Luzon.

Angeles also noted that the lifting of aeronautical fees would also largely benefit Filipinos in the United States, noting that about 70 percent of balikbayans are from Central Luzon.

Passenger aircraft, mostly chartered, are charged around $1,739 as take-off or landing fee at the DMIA. These fees, however, are some 30 percent lower than the rates at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

CDC executive vice president Jose Victor Luciano said the lifting of aeronautical fees was approved by the CDC board and would last throughout the year.

"We hope that this would finally attract international passenger airlines to consider the DMIA as a regular destination and take-off point for their operations," Luciano said.

Meanwhile, Angeles also announced that the Japanese Airport Consultants, a group conducting a feasibility study on modern passenger and cargo terminals at DMIA, is almost ready to present the results.

"We are hopeful that the P22 billion needed for the project would get funding from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation," he said.

Meanwhile, Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra urged Malacañang to deny landing and docking rights to Iraq-bound US warplanes and vessels, which may want to use the country’s airports or naval facilities.

"We should not be a party to the invasion of Iraq, no matter how minimal or inconsequential our participation would be," Mitra said. "Not one bomb dropped in Iraq should pass our territory."

He said the Philippines "must do a Turkey," referring to the latter’s refusal to have US forces use their bases as a staging ground for an attack on Iraq.

Mitra said the country already has enough problems to deal with that it does not need further complications by involving itself in a war, which could later do harm to the country’s economy.

"We are vulnerable (to) the fallout of this war. The bombing of Baghdad will have the same impact as the bombings in Davao, or even worse," he said.

Quezon Rep. Aleta Suarez, for her part, wants the RP-US Balikatan 03-1 exercises to be held in her province instead of Sulu.

Suarez said the exercises should be held in the Army’s Camp Nakar.

Suarez said that instead of providing arms to Philippine troops, the US government should provide aid to the provinces to address widespread poverty, which she said is the root of insurgency.

Suarez said financial aid would enable the provinces to meet their needs, such as additional infrastructures like hospitals and school buildings, as well as medical services, supplies and technical support to farmers.

"Additional infrastructures would provide employment and help reduce poverty, effectively discouraging recruitment to the insurgency movement," she said.

Farmers are vulnerable to being recruited by insurgents or terrorist groups because of the lack of financial and technical support from the government in order to improve and market their products, Suarez said.

All Balikatan exercises have a civic and humanitarian component, implemented in areas where exercises are conducted. — With Delon Porcalla, Ding Cervantes, Paolo Romero