FIL-AM ARRESTED FOR ILLEGALLY RECRUITING SECURITY MEN FOR IRAQ
MANILA, June 28, 2006 (STAR) (AP) Philippine government agents have arrested a Filipino-American man on suspicion of illegally recruiting ex-soldiers to serve as security personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, officials said Tuesday.Mark Rae Villacruzes was arrested last week in Mandaluyong city in suburban Manila after eight former soldiers he recruited for Iraq filed a complaint against him for allegedly withholding part of their compensation, the National Bureau of Investigation said.
NBI Special Action Unit chief Vicente de Guzman III said an investigation showed Villacruzes recruited the men in March 2004 to serve as security personnel at U.S. installations in Iraq with a monthly salary of US$1,000.
But Villacruzes, who claimed to represent a U.S.-based company, failed to pay the men an agreed $9,000 each war compensation for their six-month stints, de Guzman said.
When the men returned to the Philippines, they sought out Villacruzes, but he was overseas. The men then filed a complaint at the government-run Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration, which found Villacruzes to be an unlicensed recruiter and referred the case to the NBI.
Villacruzes was arrested last Friday, along with another man, after two of the former soldiers tipped off authorities about his whereabouts. He was charged with illegal recruitment. The penalty varies from two years to life in prison.
According to de Guzman, Villacruzes is believed to have sent at least 100 Filipino men to Iraq in March 2004 alone _ before the Philippine government imposed a ban on sending workers to the country _ and was believed to have continued recruiting until he was arrested last week.
The recruits, all with "combat experience" either from the military or police, were provided with high-powered firearms to secure U.S. installations or to serve as convoy security, he said. It wasn't immediately clear if the installations were military bases or private companies.
The government's employment agency for overseas workers has posted an announcement on its Web site that it "does not process documents of Filipinos hired as 'civilian fighting force' for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan."
GMA draws inspiration from Pope By Aurea Calica The Philippine Star 06/28/2006
ROME (via PLDT) — Taking her inspiration from Pope Benedict XVI, President Arroyo vowed yesterday to continue with her plans for the country amid moves to impeach her from office and derail initiatives to amend the Constitution.
Asked about her "discernment" after meeting with the Holy Father, Mrs. Arroyo said she felt encouraged by the Pope on her policies and the economic programs of her administration.
"He was very encouraging and very supportive of our policies," the President said.
"And I expect the continuous support of the Church for the things we are trying to do, especially for the poor. They are the ones that the Church and Jesus Christ truly love — the poor," she said.
When the President met with the late Pope John Paul II in 2003, she said it was during that time that she was contemplating on whether to run in the May 2004 elections or stick to her earlier announcement to retire from politics.
Mrs. Arroyo said she discussed with the Pope her political reforms, including her desire to have the 1987 Constitution amended to change the system of government.
"All I can say is that I was very encouraged by his comments. And most of the time, he (the Pope) was the one asking the questions. Things did not have to come from me. He is very interested in our country and he knows the issues in the country," Mrs. Arroyo said.
"And with his views on the current developments in the country, I think he is very inspired," she said.
Mrs. Arroyo said she felt reassured that she was on the right track.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye explained the Pope did not express direct support for the programs of Mrs. Arroyo, particularly after the Catholic Church in Manila had expressed its opposition.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it was not against Charter change (Cha-cha) initiatives per se but against the mode of people’s initiative that would seem to shortcut the process.
"I don’t think we can jump to that conclusion," Bunye said.
He said the Arroyo administration is of the opinion that the members of the Catholic Church have mixed feelings on the President’s initiatives.
"I cannot speak for them and I don’t think any further comment will be productive," Bunye said.
He said the President only mentioned that she and the Pope talked about the encyclical message reminding the clergy against meddling in political affairs.
The Pope gave Mrs. Arroyo a copy of the encyclical during their meeting at the Vatican last Monday morning.
The Pope also hailed the Philippines for abolishing the death penalty and told the President it was "a job well done."
Bunye said other European countries, along with Italy and Spain, took note and lauded the decision of the Philippine government to abolish the death penalty.
In an official statement released at the end of the state visit to the Vatican, Bunye reiterated the hopes of Mrs. Arroyo that the Pope would also visit the Philippines.
"We hope that Pope Benedict will find time to visit the Philippines for we believe that even a brief stay in Manila will serve as a unifying force for Filipinos from all walks of life," Bunye said, adding the President’s visit to the Vatican has rekindled the Philippines’ key role in the Roman Catholic world.
While the President sought an audience with the Holy See at the Vatican, critics and opponents took the opportunity to unseat her in filing a new impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives.
Signed by over 300 complainants who had held an overnight vigil at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City, the complaint included new charges of abetting political killings, committing human rights abuses and violating the Constitution to muzzle dissent, along with the old allegations of cheating in the May 2004 elections.
Critics like the militant group Anakbayan scoffed at the President’s "gift of life" in presenting the statute repealing the death penalty law before the Pope.
"It’s nothing but a grand lie, a poor attempt at ‘political cleansing.’ Mrs. Arroyo fools no one in her claims of ‘sainthood,’ not when her trip is being hounded by a renewed impeachment complaint on the basis of extra-judicial killings and political repression," Anakbayan national chairman Eleanor de Guzman said.
De Guzman said Mrs. Arroyo was flaunting the abolition of the death penalty while her "death squads" were busy hunting down leftists and militants.
She said various groups are planning to send a statement and petition before the Pope to offer a clearer picture of the government’s genuine regard for life and human rights.
The United Against Torture Coalition (UATC), on the other hand, urged Mrs. Arroyo to take the opportunity to ratify the United Nations Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT).
The UATC said Mrs. Arroyo should not be complacent as she travels to Europe to invite international accolade for the abolition of the death penalty law in the country because the right to life, dignity and security of persons in the country remains in peril. — With Katherine Adraneda
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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