I was informed by Chargé d’Affaires of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad Ricardo M. Endaya that a Filipino worker was kidnapped by still unidentified abductors in Iraq on 01 November 2004.  OFW Robert Theodore Villaflor Tarongoy, a native of Davao City, was abducted by armed men together with three Iraqis, an American and a Nepalese.  Mr. Tarongoy, who is 31 years of age, is employed as an accountant with the Saudi Arabian Trading and Contracting Company (SATCo) with offices located in Baghdad’s Al Mansour District.  The employees, including Mr. Tarongoy were forcibly taken when heavily armed men attacked their office at around 5:35 PM (Baghdad time) Monday.

I have instructed the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad to take all appropriate measures to ascertain the condition of the Filipino and gather additional information on the situation, the abductors and their possible demands.  I have also instructed Ambassador Roy A. Cimatu, Chairman of the Presidential Middle East Preparedness Committee who is currently in Kuwait to immediately go to Baghdad to assist CDA Endaya in managing this new hostage crisis.   In fact, I gave him that instruction this morning.

Rest assured, the Philippine government is mobilizing its resources and is exerting all possible means to secure the safe release of Mr. Tarongoy.  To this end, I have instructed the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad to get in touch with SATCo, the OFW’s Saudi employer in case the abductors contacted the company.  The DFA is also contacting Mr. Tarongoy’s family, who is in Davao, to convey to them my sympathy for Mr. Tarongoy’s quandary and assure them of the government’s efforts to bring their loved one home safely.

In fact last night, I was talking to Grace, Mrs. Grace Tarongoy, and I assured her that we are doing our best to help free her husband.  She was appreciative and I also told her that any news that is coming, we will convey that to her.

Pursuant to my instructions, Philippine Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Bahnarim A. Guinomla set a meeting with the Vice President of SATCo to confer with him regarding the abduction incident.

The DFA crisis management committee, which was reactivated to manage the Angelito abduction case in Afghanistan, is now also working with the DOLE, with Secretary Pat Sto. Tomas, for coordinating government efforts for this yet new abduction incident involving an OFW in Iraq.

Ambassador Cimatu, who just recently visited the US military installations at Camp Anaconda and Camp Victory to inspect the condition of Filipino workers there, had reported to me that the OFWs there, in Camp Anaconda and Camp Victory, feel safe and secure.  This is of course a result of the enhanced security precautions being implemented within these camps.  Yesterday, I released a statement detailing Ambassador Cimatu’s trip to Iraq, including the arrangements made with our Embassies and OFWs there for an emergency evacuation contingency plan.

However, recent developments in Iraq, particularly the US military’s increased offensive in and around Fallujah have further aggravated the already precarious security situation in the country.  I had been advised that attacks on residences and workplaces of foreigners such as this one, which resulted in the abduction of an OFW from his place of work, is expected to increase in frequency.

That is why, in spite of the relative security being experienced by Filipino workers already deployed to American military camps in Iraq, the Philippine government remains steadfast in its policy to continue the OFW deployment ban.

As you know, we have been repeating that message of a deployment ban - that this is not the time for our countrymen to go to Iraq.  And I had said that once the election is over, then perhaps that is the time, once the situation has settled, to revisit this ban.

The government is indeed implementing this ban more aggressively in light of the evident threat to Filipino lives in Iraq punctuated by this most recent OFW abduction incident.  More recent measures, as you know, include the stamping of a “Not Valid for Travel to Iraq” limitation on Philippine passports being issued by the DFA.  In addition, to that, we have been coordinating with our Embassies abroad and the governments abroad to ensure that our ban is respected and implemented.  Last week, I also invited the envoys of the countries around Iraq to seek their governments’ cooperation and support in enforcing a border-crossing ban (into Iraq) for Filipinos.  And as earlier mentioned, Ambassador Cimatu is also in the Middle East to appeal to the governments of Kuwait and Turkey to continue helping the Philippines prevent the entry of our nationals into Iraq.

Further, I wish to call upon all Filipinos already in Iraq not to hesitate to approach our Embassy in Baghdad should they desire to be immediately repatriated.  This, of course, has been an ongoing notice/advise to all our overseas workers in Iraq for sometime now, for repatriation if they so desire particularly because of the fluid and difficult situation there.  Our Embassy there would be able to expeditiously act on requests for repatriation and is ready to give Filipinos in Iraq all possible assistance, for whatever situation.  END.