MANILA: Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has found herself in a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation after apparently caving in to demands of Iraqi militants threatening to execute an abducted Filipino truck driver.
After receiving praises from the United States for initially rejecting the demand for an early withdrawal of Filipino troops from Iraq, Arroyo now faces international criticism as her government announced that the pull-out has began.
Domestic response has also been mixed, with some hailing the decision that could hopefully save Angelo dela Cruz and others warning of a backlash. "The reaction will be: the Philippines doesn't have the guts to honour its alliances and commitments," said Max Soliven, publisher of the English-language Philippine Star newspaper. "The Filipinos are a nation of weaklings."
Describing the announced pull-out as "a shameful retreat", Soliven said the message that the Arroyo administration was sending to terrorists was that if they abduct a Filipino and threaten to behead him, "all the Filipinos turn tail and run away".
But analysts noted that the hostage crisis was not a black-and-white situation. Renato de Castro, head of the International Studies Department of the De Lasalle University in Manila, said critics should not be quick to condemn Arroyo, one of the staunchest Asian allies of the US in the global fight against terrorism and the Iraq war.
"We haven't seen a single troop pull out," he pointed out. "The government has not given the mechanics for the pull-out. It appears that it is giving certain concessions, but we have to wait."
De Castro said Arroyo must be given the room to manoeuvre as her government deals with "a Catch-22 situation". "The government needs to balance its commitment to the international community and appease domestic criticisms," he said. "It is threading a very narrow line. It is not weakness. The government is facing a dilemma and it should be given room to manoeuvre."
With critics and international allies expressing disappointment that the troop pull-out appears to be an abandonment of the Philippines' alliance with the US, advocates of the withdrawal said it was about time that the government prioritises national interests.
"In the end, sanity and patriotism must prevail," said political analyst Teodoro Benigno. "We are not violating international law. We would have lost all shame, all dignity, all pride if we allowed Angelo to die."
Benigno said Arroyo's decision to withdraw the 51-member humanitarian contingent from Iraq ahead of schedule to save dela Cruz, a 46-year-old father of eight, "took courage".
"We have long been hoodwinked to believe we are fighting for world peace and freedom - against terrorism - in joining America's awe and shock invasion and occupation of Iraq," he noted.
He said the hostage crisis has "made us Filipinos realize how long we have been asleep, how long we have been in the opium den". Migrante, an organization of overseas Filipino workers, chided the US for criticizing the government's decision.
"They should not be confused with our policy shift," said Vince Borneo, a spokesman for Migrante. "It is the right of the Philippine government to bring home its troops to protect its citizens. If they are willing to sacrifice their own citizens, they should not expect the same from us."
Borneo said the decision to pull out was not bowing down to the demands of the Iraqi militants holding dela Cruz, but rather a resolve for the Philippine government "to protect its citizens wherever they are".
While saying that "it would be terribly bad for the government" if the pull-out pushes through, De Castro stressed that all was not lost for the Philippines. "If we cave in, you can expect more Angelo dela Cruzes," he said. "But let's wait and see how the government would reiterate its commitment to the war on terrorism. For all we know, we might pull out now, only to deploy more later."
Senator Rodolfo Biazon, a former armed forces chief of staff, said the government would have to do some "repair work" after the hostage crisis. "We are wounded one way or another," he said.
"The life of dela Cruz is important, but we also need to examine the possible effects as a member of the community of nations. There would be some repair job that we need to do. No nation can have a hermetic system."-dpa
