DFA exec: Not entire Iraq in turmoil but violence incidents persist

Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials said the security situation in Iraq has already improved but they remain wary of violent incidents in some parts of that country. DFA Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, head of the five-man government team recently deployed to Iraq to assess the security situation there, said they are winding up their mission and will soon submit its recommendation about the possible reopening of the Philippine Embassy in that country. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario dispatched the Philippine team to Iraq on September 19 to look into the possibility of moving the Philippine Embassy in Iraq back to Baghdad from Jordan, where the chancery has been operating since 2005. "The peace and order situation in Iraq will play a major factor in any decision of the Philippines to resume its diplomatic presence in Baghdad," Seguis said. “We remain hopeful that the security climate there will continue to improve," he said. Seguis said he and the others of the Philippine team are safe and that Iraqi officials have provided security for them throughout their trip. Despite its relative inactivity, the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad is still being maintained by the DFA. Located at a three-story duplex in Baghdad's Hay Al Jadriyah District, the DFA is renting the embassy building at $70,000 annually. The embassy opened in 1980 after the Iraq-Iran war prompted the Philippine government to forge ties with Iraq to assist displaced Filipino workers. Violent incidents continue "While we are convinced that the present Iraq is considerably better compared to the Iraq of six years ago, we are also aware that violence will continue to take place in some parts of Iraq for some time to come," Seguis said. On Friday, synchronized bomb attacks killed five people and wounded nine others took place was nowhere near the Hay Al-Jadriyah District where the chancery of the Philippine Embassy in located However, Seguis said Friday's incident and the other violent incidents that took place in Iraq during the past week were also confined to certain areas in the west and north of the country. Seguis said, "this does not mean that the entire country is in turmoil." “It's like saying that the whole Philippines is a dangerous place to go to just because a bomb exploded in Cotabato," he explained. Former PHL envoy to Iraq Before their trip to Iraq this month, Seguis, a former ambassador to Baghdad, last visited that country in 2005. During his term as ambassador to Iraq, Seguis successfully secured the release of two Filipino truck drivers — Angelito dela Cruz and Roberto Tarongoy — who were abducted by Iraqi gunmen in 2004 and 2005 respectively. As the security situation in Iraq worsened in 2005, the Philippine embassy was temporarily relocated to Amman, Jordan. A ban on Filipino workers was imposed in Iraq due to rampant abduction of foreign truck drivers by militant groups. - VVP, GMA News