MANILA - Iraqi militants holding captive a Filipino accountant have demanded the Philippines cut all military cooperation with the United States or they will kill their hostage, foreign office sources said Wednesday.
The militants also demanded that the government pull out the estimated 6,000 Filipinos still working as support staff in US military installations in Iraq, the sources said.
They said the militants had given president Gloria Arroyo until March 11 to meet their demands, or they will execute Robert Tarongoy.
The Philippines did not officially confirm the ultimatum, but said it received a videotape from the Al-Jazeera Arabic satellite television channel that showed Tarongoy pleading for his release.
Taraongoy's captors apparently made their demands in the tape.
"He appeared well, identified himself and asked for his government's assistance," Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said in a statement.
"The Philippine government continues to exert every effort to secure Robert's freedom," he said.
Tarongoy was seized by militants along with an American co-worker in November. The fate of the American hostage remains unknown.
While not directly answering the supposed demands of the Iraqi militants, Romulo stressed that the Philippines has already banned workers from leaving for Iraq and is encouraging those already there to return home.
He said a small contingent of Filipino forces that served with the US-led military coalition was flown home ahead of schedule last year to save the life of a Filipino truck driver also seized by militants.
The Philippines also "does not provide any support, including logistics and security support to US military forces in Iraq," Romulo said.
"On behalf of the Philippines government and its people, and on behalf of the family of Robert, I would like to reiterate our appeal for Robert's safe and early release," he said.
Romulo asked the militants not to harm Tarongoy just because "others have defied our government's ban on workers to Iraq."
He was apparently referring to the hundreds of Filipino workers who continually troop to recruitment agencies hoping to land jobs in the Middle East country.
03/09/2005 11:09 GMT