The ‘terrorists’ in Iraq : Support for the illegal war-not pull-out-exposes us to ‘terrorism’ 

By Herbert Docena 

In this Issue: 

Ten more members of the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent in Iraq are expected to arrive today. According to news reports from Baghdad, the remaining 32 other members will be flying back to the country shortly, thus signaling the full withdrawal of Philippine troops from Iraq. The entire country now awaits with bated-breath the homecoming of Angelo dela Cruz, the truck driver and father of 8, whose captivity moved the nation and reinvigorated the debate o­n the war and the occupation of Iraq.  

And the debate continues. The Philippine government’s decision to withdraw its troops has been met with both praise and criticism. Anti-war activists- that staged almost daily rallies and vigils for the dela Cruz-welcome the decision to pull-out. According to a statement in the peace and sovereignty website YONIP (the pull-out of Philippine troops) "was simply the right thing to do. It is also the sentiment of the Filipino people. This is not submission nor capitulationism. In the first place, we had no business in sending an armed contingent in support of the U.S. invasion and continued occupation of Iraq." The criticisms from abroad have come from the United States, Australia, and the Iraqi Governing Council, who all see the pull-out as "sending the wrong signals" to ‘terrorists’. Here at home, the opposition to the pull-out includes former President Fidel V. Ramos, Former National Security Adviser Roilo Golez, Senate President Franklin Drilon, and UP economics professor and TV host Solita Monsod. They argue that the withdraw of troops now would be tantamount to conceding to the terrorists and is a sign of weakness. They urge the public to look at the bigger picture. The issue they say, goes beyond the life of dela Cruz. The bigger issue is securing the lives of thousands of overseas workers in Iraq who may now face graver threats as a result of the pull-out.  

In this issue, Herbert Docena counters by saying ‘the support for the illegal war and not the pull-out of troops exposes us to ‘terrorism’. "No self-respecting government should bow to blackmail and coercion. But no self-respecting government should also be party to an illegal and immoral war and occupation" states Docena. 

Herbert Docena was Solita Monsod’s former student in her Economics 191 class at the UP School of Economics. As research associate with the policy research institute Focus o­n the Global South, he conducted research in Iraq with the Baghdad-based Iraq International Occupation Watch Center (www.occupationwatch.org). 

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