Euphoria sweeps town, grand welcome set
Posted @ www.inq7.net/nat/2004/jul/21/nat_2-1.htm
MEXICO, Pampanga -- A wave of jubilation swept Angelo de la Cruz's family and friends when footage of him in the custody of Philippine officials in the United Arab Emirates was shown on television late Wednesday afternoon.
Weeping for joy and hugging one another, they expressed thanks to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for her support of the family and for the government's efforts to secure Angelo's release.
"We're quite happy but we will be really, really happy once we see the President holding our brother. Thank you to everyone," said Angelo's brother Feliciano Jr.
The small community in Barangay Buenavista where the De la Cruzes live is actually in the thick of preparing for the homecoming of the 46-year-old truck driver taken hostage by Iraqi militants in Baghdad on July 4.
The tasks of cooking, welcoming guests, mounting a program, managing traffic, even cleaning the De la Cruz home, were assigned to various persons in the community at a meeting that started at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the house of Barangay captain Alfredo Pineda.
Earlier in the day, Malacañang advised Pampanga Governor Mark Lapid to start preparations even without official word of the hostage's release.
Lapid told De la Cruz's sisters and local officials that outgoing Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman issued the directive at 10 a.m. He quoted Soliman as saying that "it's better to be prepared."
"We are just preparing, thinking of this in a positive way. We don't want disorder in the village when he returns," the governor said of De la Cruz, adding: "I'm 100-percent sure he is [coming] home within a few days. Kung puwede nga, ngayon na (If it's possible, today)."
The provincial, municipal and barangay governments were represented at the meeting.
Among those present were Lucia Gutierrez, Pampanga social welfare officer; Susan Dimabuyu, Central Luzon social welfare coordinator; Jesus Punzalan, Mexico municipal engineer; Allan Bonifacio, coordinator of the organization for overseas Filipino workers, Migrante, and a number of teachers in the village.
Grand event
Mexico Mayor Teddy Tumang said the local government would spend for what he described as a "grand" homecoming.
Lapid said he had no idea how many guests would arrive but expected them to come from all walks of life.
"I'm happy. I love my brother," declared Beth Reyes, a younger sister of Angelo's. "I'd like to go to the airport when he comes, and to Malacañang to thank the President."
Willie de la Cruz, Angelo's younger brother who is also an overseas worker, arrived in the village on Monday night to join the family in waiting for Angelo.
On Angelo's return to the country, his eight children who had been staying in an undisclosed villa at the Clark Special Economic Zone during the entire hostage crisis will be taken to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to be reunited with their parents, Lapid said.
He said the De la Cruz family would then call on Ms Arroyo in Malacañang.
Angelo's wife Arsenia and his brother Jesse were earlier flown by the Philippine government to Amman, Jordan, to be closer to developments.
Lapid said it would be up to the family members to decide whether they would proceed at once to Buenavista or head to Clark.
In Manila, government officials began studying options for Angelo's arrival.
Sources said they were studying whether Ms Arroyo would go to the NAIA to welcome Angelo, or to Buenavista.
Crisis committee
At the Department of Labor and Employment, a new crisis management committee was formed by Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas as part of the government's reaction to Angelo's abduction.
The committee is headed by Labor Undersecretary Manuel Imson; its members are the administrators of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the director of the DOLE's International Labor Affairs Service.
Its objective is to strengthen security measures for all Filipino workers in war-torn or high-risk countries.
At the same time, Sto. Tomas ordered all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) to update their monthly registry of employers and Filipino workers and to designate a staff officer in each company to take charge of the security and monitoring of Filipino workers.
Sto. Tomas stipulated that a Filipino worker, who would monitor the security of his co-workers, would also be designated as a counterpart of the companies' staff officer.
"Once the focal persons are identified, the Polo shall immediately conduct an orientation training on matters relating to coordination and assistance, and enforce a realistic security plan," Sto. Tomas said in her directive.
All reports of the POLOs are to go directly to the crisis management committee.
Posted @ www.inq7.net/nat/2004/jul/21/nat_2-1.htm
MEXICO, Pampanga -- A wave of jubilation swept Angelo de la Cruz's family and friends when footage of him in the custody of Philippine officials in the United Arab Emirates was shown on television late Wednesday afternoon.
Weeping for joy and hugging one another, they expressed thanks to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for her support of the family and for the government's efforts to secure Angelo's release.
"We're quite happy but we will be really, really happy once we see the President holding our brother. Thank you to everyone," said Angelo's brother Feliciano Jr.
The small community in Barangay Buenavista where the De la Cruzes live is actually in the thick of preparing for the homecoming of the 46-year-old truck driver taken hostage by Iraqi militants in Baghdad on July 4.
The tasks of cooking, welcoming guests, mounting a program, managing traffic, even cleaning the De la Cruz home, were assigned to various persons in the community at a meeting that started at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the house of Barangay captain Alfredo Pineda.
Earlier in the day, Malacañang advised Pampanga Governor Mark Lapid to start preparations even without official word of the hostage's release.
Lapid told De la Cruz's sisters and local officials that outgoing Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman issued the directive at 10 a.m. He quoted Soliman as saying that "it's better to be prepared."
"We are just preparing, thinking of this in a positive way. We don't want disorder in the village when he returns," the governor said of De la Cruz, adding: "I'm 100-percent sure he is [coming] home within a few days. Kung puwede nga, ngayon na (If it's possible, today)."
The provincial, municipal and barangay governments were represented at the meeting.
Among those present were Lucia Gutierrez, Pampanga social welfare officer; Susan Dimabuyu, Central Luzon social welfare coordinator; Jesus Punzalan, Mexico municipal engineer; Allan Bonifacio, coordinator of the organization for overseas Filipino workers, Migrante, and a number of teachers in the village.
Grand event
Mexico Mayor Teddy Tumang said the local government would spend for what he described as a "grand" homecoming.
Lapid said he had no idea how many guests would arrive but expected them to come from all walks of life.
"I'm happy. I love my brother," declared Beth Reyes, a younger sister of Angelo's. "I'd like to go to the airport when he comes, and to Malacañang to thank the President."
Willie de la Cruz, Angelo's younger brother who is also an overseas worker, arrived in the village on Monday night to join the family in waiting for Angelo.
On Angelo's return to the country, his eight children who had been staying in an undisclosed villa at the Clark Special Economic Zone during the entire hostage crisis will be taken to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to be reunited with their parents, Lapid said.
He said the De la Cruz family would then call on Ms Arroyo in Malacañang.
Angelo's wife Arsenia and his brother Jesse were earlier flown by the Philippine government to Amman, Jordan, to be closer to developments.
Lapid said it would be up to the family members to decide whether they would proceed at once to Buenavista or head to Clark.
In Manila, government officials began studying options for Angelo's arrival.
Sources said they were studying whether Ms Arroyo would go to the NAIA to welcome Angelo, or to Buenavista.
Crisis committee
At the Department of Labor and Employment, a new crisis management committee was formed by Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas as part of the government's reaction to Angelo's abduction.
The committee is headed by Labor Undersecretary Manuel Imson; its members are the administrators of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the director of the DOLE's International Labor Affairs Service.
Its objective is to strengthen security measures for all Filipino workers in war-torn or high-risk countries.
At the same time, Sto. Tomas ordered all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) to update their monthly registry of employers and Filipino workers and to designate a staff officer in each company to take charge of the security and monitoring of Filipino workers.
Sto. Tomas stipulated that a Filipino worker, who would monitor the security of his co-workers, would also be designated as a counterpart of the companies' staff officer.
"Once the focal persons are identified, the Polo shall immediately conduct an orientation training on matters relating to coordination and assistance, and enforce a realistic security plan," Sto. Tomas said in her directive.
All reports of the POLOs are to go directly to the crisis management committee.
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