AFP preparing 'paradise island' for Filipino peacekeepers

MANILA, Philippines - The military has dropped its initial plan to quarantine Filipino peacekeepers from Ebola-infested Liberia in Capas, Tarlac.

Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said on Tuesday that members of the Philippine peacekeeping contingent would be brought instead to a “paradise island” in Luzon.

He, however, declined to specify where the peacekeepers would be isolated, citing an order from his superiors.

“They (peacekeepers) will be isolated. The Chief of Staff has decided to put them in a secluded place. It will be an island paradise but I cannot disclose the exact location for now,” Cabunoc told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.

Cabunoc said they are now preparing the area where the peacekeepers would be quarantined. He said coordination with the local government has been made to ensure the safety of the residents in the island.

Members of the 110-strong peacekeeping contingent are schedule to return home on November 11.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr. earlier said that Filipino peacekeepers from Liberia would be brought to the Armed Forces Peacekeeping Operations Center in Capas upon their return to the Philippines.

The Peacekeeping Operations Center is located in Camp O'Donnell, which also serves as the home of the Mechanized Infantry Division and Training and Doctrine Command.

The military’s plan, however, was greeted with protests by local executives and business groups who are concerned about its possible effects on the town’s health, business, and tourism. The local government has issued resolutions formally opposing the move.

Cabunoc could not say whether the decision to isolate the peacekeepers in a secluded island is relayed to the local government’s protests.

“I could not speculate on that,” he said.

The Philippines has decided to pullout its peacekeepers in Liberia because of the outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has swept through West Africa and has left about 4,900 persons dead.

Officials have given assurances that they are doing everything to prevent the entry of the deadly virus in the country.