by Jason Gutierrez
MANILA, July 22 (AFP) - Angelo de la Cruz, a poor Filipino truck driver who sought greener pastures in the battlefields of the Middle East, arrived home Thursday after a harrowing 17-day hostage ordeal in Iraq that prompted the early withdrawal of Philippine troops.
"I will never return to Iraq or any other Arab country," the 46-year-old declared shortly after he flew in from Abu Dhabi with his wife, his brother and several officials who helped negotiate his release from anti-US insurgents.
"I'll just try to look for a job here," de la Cruz told a news conference after a tearful reunion with more than 50 relatives, including seven of his eight children.
Sons, daughters and other relatives embraced the long-haired and craggy-faced ex-hostage and burst into tears after he passed through a VIP entrance at Manila airport wearing a baseball cap and white shirt emblazoned with the words 'I am a Filipino'.
"I wish to thank President Gloria Arroyo and the government for giving foremost consideration to my safety," he said in a brief arrival statement. "I will never forget this."
Arroyo spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the president would deliver a policy speech at the foreign affairs department Friday, adding the presidential palace would not be giving an official reaction for the time being.
De la Cruz was released by kidnappers on Tuesday, a day after the last of the Philippines' 51-member military contingent departed Iraq in compliance with his captors' demands.
They had threatened to behead de la Cruz, one of millions of Filipinos who have gone to work abroad to escape poverty in their Southeast Asian country, unless the troops left by the end of the month.
The force had been scheduled to complete its year-long mission on August 20.
"I am very happy," said six-year-old Jeric, as he snuggled up close to his father whom he has not seen in a year.
"We will not allow him to leave anymore," added his the ex-hostage's emotional father Feliciano.
De la Cruz said he was still "very confused" two days after being freed.
Asked about Filipino allies' criticism of the military pull-out, he said: "All that I can say is that I am thankful to the president for her decision."
De la Cruz was kidnapped by Islamic militants on July 4 while driving a fuel truck into Iraq from Saudi Arabia. Masked militants paraded him tied and dressed in an orange prison-style uniform on Arab television three days later.
Ignoring warnings from foreign allies that dealing with "terrorists" would invite more attacks in the future, Arroyo capitulated to stop street protests at home that were seen as having the potential to destabilise her government.
The kidnappers dumped the emaciated de la Cruz at the gates of the United Arab Emirates embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday, a day after the last 34 members of the Filipino force left Iraq and went to Kuwait.
Soon after, Arab television reported that six other foreign truck drivers -- two Kenyans, three Indians and an Egyptian -- were abducted by a group which threatened to kill them if their Kuwaiti employer did not withdraw from Iraq.
De la Cruz said it was up to the more than 3,000 other Filipino civilian workers in Iraq if they wanted to stay or return home.
"What I can say is that Iraq is a dangerous place," he said.
De la Cruz and his family were later driven to a government ministry where they were to spend the night before returning to their village of Buenavista, north of the capital, early Friday.
The village declared a holiday Friday for the truck driver, who became a hero to ordinary Filipinos.
Both US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell have lashed out at the Philippines over the withdrawal.
"In effect, kidnappers were rewarded for kidnapping," Powell said Thursday after meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart, Solomon Passy.
"We were very disappointed in the actions of the Philippine government," he said. "I'm pleased that the Filipino gentleman was returned home safely, but I think a very high price was paid for the policy position that the Philippine government took."
But Arroyo spokesman Ignacio Bunye said: "The president's decision was based on the interest of the Filipino people, especially our overseas Filipino workers."