Filipino's release from Iraq leaves concerns over safety of migrants

Published: 2005-06-29

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (CNS) -- The tearful homecoming of a Filipino accountant held hostage in Iraq for almost seven months leaves pressing concerns over the safety of migrant workers in the Mideast country. On June 27, Robert Tarongoy emerged smiling into the lounge of the international airport in Davao City, where his sisters waited to embrace him, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. "Thank God, I'm home," Tarongoy said after disembarking from the plane that brought him, his wife, his mother and his brother from Manila. He did not answer questions about the circumstances leading to his release and asked reporters to respect his privacy. The accountant entered Iraq after the Philippine government had instituted a ban on Filipinos working in the war-torn country.

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