SECRETARY OPLE EXPRESSES RELIEF OVER RECOVERY OF FIL-AMERICAN SOLDIER
Secretary Blas F. Ople expressed relief that Filipino-American soldier Spc.
Joseph Hudson, who was captured by the Iraqi army three weeks ago, is now
back in Coalition hands. Hudson, along with six other prisoners of war, was
found by his comrades-in-arms in a building just north of Baghdad.
His mother Aniceta, a Filipina emigrant to the United States, was expectedly
deluged with interview requests from media networks. She touched the
hearts of many with her tearful plea to the Iraqi government not to harm
her son and to the coalition leaders to bring him back. Being of Filipino
descent, Filipinos and Philippine media closely followed developments involving
Spc. Hudson.
Secretary Ople had earlier appealed to the belligerents to respect international
law in the case of prisoners-of-war upon learning of US Army Spc. Hudson’s
capture. He also reminded them of the need for humane treatment in
accordance with the Geneva Convention. He was one of the foreign ministers
who made this appeal also to global humanitarian organizations to attend
to the needs of the prisoners of war, asking the combatants to allow humanitarian
agencies access to prisoners-of-war.
The 23-year old Joseph Hudson was himself obviously relieved to be free again.