"Tarongoy is still alive." Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas issued the statement to dispel presumptions that kidnapped Filipino accountant Robert Tarongoy has been executed by his Islamic captors in Iraq. Sto. Tomas said Ambassador Rafael Seguis reported that Tarongoy, who was abducted last November is still alive and his release is still under negotiation. "They have proof that he is still alive and he is still the subject of government negotiations and support," said Sto. Tomas.
She explained that the only reason why Tarongoy has not been released is because of the forthcoming elections in Iraq, noting that even the kidnappers are monitoring the electoral situation in their war-torn country.
"This (Tarongoy kidnapping) is a little extended and taking time because of the situation in Iraq," she added. Comparing the situation of truck driver Angelo dela Cruz to the case of Tarongoy, Sto. Tomas said the captors of dela Cruz mainly focused on the withdrawal of the humanitarian contingent, which is the reason why dela Cruz's release did not take long. She added that there was no ransom demanded in exchange for dela Cruz's release while in Tarongoy's case, the kidnappers are asking for a US$10 million ransom. Philippine charge d' affairs to Iraq Ricardo Endaya said the non-negotiable US policy towards terrorists is making the job of securing Tarongoy's safe release more difficult for the government.
| Sorry that the US won't let you roll over and play dead for the jihadis... |