Manila may raise alert level in Iraq

THE Department of Foreign Affairs is seriously considering raising the alert level in Iraq amid the escalating violence in that country.

Raul Hernandez, Foreign Affairs spokesman, on Tuesday said that the department may declare alert level 3, which would lead to activation of the Philippine government’s voluntary repatriation program for Filipinos in Iraq.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario recently visited Iraq and held “wide- ranging bilateral talks” with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

In a statement, the Foreign Affairs chief said that he informed Zebari of Manila’s intention to raise crisis alert level 3 in Iraq because of the heightening tensions there merely a month after the United States pulled out its troops. But the plan will not include the Kurdistan Autonomous Region, a part of Iraq that has remained relatively peaceful.

“We discussed the security situation in Iraq in light of the recent bombings in Baghdad, after the withdrawal of the US military,” del Rosario said.

“Foreign Minister Zebari assured me that the Iraqi government will be providing all the assistance in order to protect our nationals and to bring them out of harm’s way, if needed,” he added.

The violence that erupted in Baghdad earlier caused concern for the department, which has been closely monitoring events in Iraq.

There have been 29 incidents of violence from January 1 to 15 ever since US troops pulled out from the conflict- stricken country in December.

Fourteen of those incidents happened in Baghdad, the department also earlier said.

On January 24, four car bombs exploded in Baghdad, killing 14 people and wounding about 75.

The decision to close down US military camps “significantly reduced the number of Filipinos in Iraq and has also resulted in a diminution of their security,” the department had said.

There were about 4,000 Filipinos working in US military bases in Iraq while some were with international organizations also based there.

To date, about 279 Filipinos are registered with the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad while 192 are in the Kurdistan region.

Del Rosario, however, believed that there may be undocumented Filipinos working as household service workers in the conflict- torn country.