COWARDICE

Such an ugly word, and for a race that takes pride in struggling out from the conqueror's hands, such remark is a slap in the face.

A month or so ago, a truck driver in Iraq were captured by the militants group while he is driving his lorry from Saudi Arabia to Baghdad. That truck driver is no other than Mr. Angelo dela Cruz, a Kapangpangan father of eight that went to the Middle East even thou there is a clear danger of abduction in connection to the current situation in Iraq.

After being abducted, he was presented in in a Saudi base network and relay to the world how he pleaded for his life and ask the Philippine government to withdraw its support to the US led coalition so that he wont be beheaded and will be release after the last Filipino soldier left Iraq.

With the current unrest and no clear mandate to the previously held Presidential election, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was somewhat forced to betray her pledge of support to the Bush administration and give in to the Kidnappers/ Terrorist demands.

and even before Mr. Angelo dela Cruz were able to set free, news travel all over the world that his abductors have release them, but to Mrs. Arroyo's surprise, its not true. And regretfully informed the family of Angelo that its a mistake.

Another "kuryente" incident to the beleaguered president...(Her administration last three years ago is rigged with such incidents of wrong info passing thru her Info Department)

But after that "pagkakamali" words have been confirmed that Arroyo have give-in to the demands that earn the ire of the Coalition Members, specially the USA and Australia. Even the Japanese and the S. Korean government have express disgust to the decision, for they themselves have sacrificed their own nationals for this so called WAR on Terrorism.

After confirming that the Philippine Government have announce that they will pull out the tiny contingent from Iraq in an effort to save the Truck driver, other countries and nationals have express how coward the Philippines is - to give in to such barbaric demands and even blame the country to the succeeding incidents that happened in Iraq after the country have fully withdraw form the war-torn country.

Fil-Americans or those born with a Filipino Heritage but live in other countries express disgust to the move done by Mrs. Arroyo, for they say it bring shame not only to the Filipinos in the eyes of the Coalition but to the world, they branded Filipinos as cowards/ spine-less and cannot be trusted to keep their words, They call us traitors to our promise and weak to our own convictions... All because GMA wanted to save Angelo dela Cruz.

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Funny, as if USA and Australia never pull-out its troops in order to save some lives or even because of Public clamor... I never really believe that there "is" a huge clamor for the Filipino Pull-out or even to reject the US-led war...(those that rally in the streets are the very same people that rally every time US do something or Philippines is doing something that will benefit the USofA. But still, I guess GMA really did what she needed to do to avoid any unrest, specially knowing for that fact that her Administration is rigged with issues regarding how she cheated to the Presidency.

She sacrificed the Philippine honor to save - no- not Angelo, but her self... Indeed she cant be trusted... Specially if she cant keep her words, why would someone trust her... The problem is, that She is the considered President, and the one challenging her cant even be trusted to safe guard a barangay less we have him (FPJ) look after a country.

I doubt if she will try to save that old Kapangpangan if it happened a year ago, before Bush actually visit the country.
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Cowards-
Filipinos can be cruel, un compassionate, undisciplined or even be uncontrollable and with out moral... But being cowards is something that we could not accept.

A country that fought so many conquerors compare to anyone in the region,the people that have been legendary to charge a line of rifle wielding soldiers, holding nothing but a farmers sword (Itak) or even fought a more advance and fully reinforce warriors in the land of Bataan and island of Corregidor and held on longer that any other Allied forces during that faithful year of 1942. A country that have been fighting their very own War on Terror even before the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center...

Yes, we are no cowards... And even if the other countries attack us with harsh remarks because of that Angelo dela Cruz incident, we should never look down to our selves, cause not even the great USA should look down upon us. We should never be regretful that we share the very same blood that flow in the veins of the likes of GMA or Angelo dela Cruz, because its the same blood that flow in the veins of our so called Heroes. Heroes that face death to protect not just our countrymen, but the very pride of our country.