Aquino expects release of peacekeepers

Rappler.com

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'The text to me was, by tomorrow, they expect all of these 21 to be released,' says President Aquino

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III said he received information that the 21 Filipino peacekeepers abducted by the Syrian opposition are “treated well” and may be released as early Thursday afternoon, March 7, Manila time. 

“The present commander of these forces—an Indian general, I believe—has been negotiating. It’s evening right now in Syria…. The text to me was, by tomorrow, they expect all of these 21 to be released,” Aquino told reporters in an ambush interview in Davao City. 

So ‘yung tomorrow, dahil evening ngayon, is probably later today. I understand this has already been taken up by the Security Council and the UN itself who are in contact with the Syrian rebels to ensure the safety of our people. I understand they are being treated well,” Aquino added.

The Syrian rebels abducted the Filipino peacekeepers — 18 soldiers and 3 officers — in the ceasefire zone of the area disputed by Syria and Israel, as the violence from the rebel campaign against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad spread further.

They are assigned to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights, which includes more 300 Philippine troops.

The Syrian opposition was initially reported to say that the peacekeepes will be held until Assad’s forces pull back from a village in Golan.

Reviewing policy

Aquino said he is not expecting a worst-case scenario. “I think both sides in the Syrian conflict would recognize that the UN peacekeeping force does help to prevent any outbreak of hostilities between especially Israel and Syria. They (Filipino peacekeepers) would be looked upon as a benign presence. So we don’t expect any untoward—further untoward incidents- to happen,” Aquino said.

Aquino said the government has been reviewing the deployment of Filipino peacekeepers. “We are part of the global community. Peace in the Middle East also benefits our country. When there’s conflict there, there’s also an upward spiral of prices of oil and commodities,” he said.

At the same time, Aquino said the Philippines has been sending a lot of peacekeepers to Haiti, East Timor, Cambodia for a while, and now Golan Heights. The President tasked the Armed Forces of the Philippines to re-assess if the government can afford to maintain the number of people deployed as peacekeepers.

“I am told the number is about a thousand for all of the deployments everywhere when we also have our needs here in the country,” he said.

“I’m still awaiting the results of that study. We have to strike a balance. We have obligation to enhance world peace but we also have domestic issues,” he said. – Carmela Fonbuena/Rappler.com

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