Senators Oppose Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon, Prioritize Return of Filipinos

Strategic Insights -

Senators Franklin Drilon and Rodolfo Biazon expressed strong opposition to plans to send a peacekeeping force to war-torn Lebanon, citing the country's lack of manpower and resources. The senators advocated for using funds to help overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) trapped in the Middle East return to the Philippines instead. Drilon and Biazon criticized the idea, saying it would put Philippine personnel at risk and expose them to humiliation, similar to the experience in Iraq.

Key Takeaways:

  • Senators Franklin Drilon and Rodolfo Biazon opposed plans to send a peacekeeping force to Lebanon, citing the country's manpower and resource constraints.
  • Drilon reminded the administration of the humiliation suffered by the Filipino contingent in Iraq after the government withdrew it in exchange for the release of Angelo de la Cruz.
  • Biazon, chairman of the Senate defense committee, stated that the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon is a complicated issue the Philippine government should avoid.
  • The senators expressed concern that involving Philippine personnel in the conflict could endanger the lives of OFWs in the Middle East who might be mistaken as anti-Lebanese or pro-Israel.
  • Drilon and Biazon disagreed with Senator Richard Gordon's suggestion to send troops to Lebanon to help OFWs.
  • House Speaker Jose de Venecia expressed a similar sentiment, suggesting a small Philippine peacekeeping contingent.
  • Drilon characterized sending a peacekeeping force to Lebanon as "another occasion where we will have a black eye."

Statistics:

  • 2 years: duration for the administration to defeat insurgency in the country
  • 2003: year in which Filipino driver Angelo de la Cruz was kidnapped by Iraqi insurgents
  • 1: number of occasion in which sending a peacekeeping force might result in a "black eye"

Sources:

  • Two senators opposed plans on [undisclosed date]:

[Source:unspecified, cited nowhere in the original text]

  • "If the government is eyeing the defeat of insurgency in the country within two years, we cannot afford to deploy our troops and use our meager material resources to fight other battles" - Sen. Rodolfo Biazon
  • "That might be another occasion where we will have a black eye," Drilon said of the plan at the regular Kapihan sa Manila breakfast forum at the Manila Hotel (varies)
  • "It was a decision dictated by domestic considerations. To have another contingent will expose once more our police and military personnel to risks out there," (varies)