Government internal security body to tackle US-Iraq war

Members of the Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security (COC-IS) are set to meet today to take up the Philippine stand in a US-Iraq war.

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said the five-member body headed by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo will hear inputs from Secretary Blas Ople and other foreign affairs officials to determine how the government can protect the more than one million overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East.

"The COC-IS will meet to receive and discuss the DFA’s assessment of the Feb. 14 meeting of the UN Security Council," he said. "The DFA is the lead department assessing the impact of the UN-SC."

Meanwhile, the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) will ask Philippine-flagged ships in the Middle East to help evacuate Filipinos in the event of war.

"Commandeering these Philippine commercial ships will be the extreme case in the event that we have Filipinos who will be left or trapped in the conflict," said Marina Administrator Oscar Sevilla.

He said the Department of Transportation and Communications has readied other contingency measures to protect Filipinos in the Middle East.

"We do not want to alarm the public by coming out with our possible actions," he said. "So for the meantime we are keeping them confidential."

"There are 170 ships all over the world flying the Philippine flag," he added.

Golez, who heads the administration’s crisis management team, said the Philippines "notes the dynamics" of the anti-war stance of France, Germany, China and Russia.

Golez said the DFA’s assessment of the Middle East situation will be used by the crisis management team in preparing the government for any eventuality.

He said foreign affairs officials will brief other members of COC-IS about their assessment of the report to the Security Council by UN arms inspector Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Golez said COC-IS members, along with representatives of other government agencies have been meeting with various trade organizations, transport groups, oil companies and food suppliers to assure a continued flow of food and petroleum products to the country.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said President Arroyo is keeping firm on her stand that the Philippines will await the UN Security Council resolution for the disarming of Iraq.

"The Philippine position has not changed," he said. "Our government supports a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We are prepared to protect the interest of our nationals in case of any contingency. What is important is to have a continuous monitoring of the (conflict)."

Earlier, Mrs. Arroyo deferred plans to convene the National Security Council, which would have met in Malacañang two weeks ago after US Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke before the UN Security Council. – Delon Porcalla, Jose Aravilla