MANILA, Philippines - The military has
dropped its initial plan to quarantine Filipino peacekeepers from
Ebola-infested Liberia in Capas, Tarlac.
Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt.
Col. Harold Cabunoc said on Tuesday that members of the Philippine peacekeeping
contingent would be brought instead to a “paradise island” in Luzon.
He, however, declined to specify where
the peacekeepers would be isolated, citing an order from his superiors.
“They (peacekeepers) will be isolated.
The Chief of Staff has decided to put them in a secluded place. It will be an
island paradise but I cannot disclose the exact location for now,” Cabunoc told
reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.
Cabunoc said they are now preparing the
area where the peacekeepers would be quarantined. He said coordination with the
local government has been made to ensure the safety of the residents in the
island.
Members of the 110-strong peacekeeping
contingent are schedule to return home on November 11.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio
Catapang Jr. earlier said that Filipino peacekeepers from Liberia would be
brought to the Armed Forces Peacekeeping Operations Center in Capas upon their
return to the Philippines.
The Peacekeeping Operations Center is
located in Camp O'Donnell, which also serves as the home of the Mechanized
Infantry Division and Training and Doctrine Command.
The military’s plan, however, was
greeted with protests by local executives and business groups who are concerned
about its possible effects on the town’s health, business, and tourism. The
local government has issued resolutions formally opposing the move.
Cabunoc could not say whether the
decision to isolate the peacekeepers in a secluded island is relayed to the
local government’s protests.
“I could not speculate on that,” he
said.
The Philippines has decided to pullout
its peacekeepers in Liberia because of the outbreak of the Ebola virus, which
has swept through West Africa and has left about 4,900 persons dead.
Officials have given assurances that
they are doing everything to prevent the entry of the deadly virus in the
country.
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