arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Thursday, 27 September 2001
30 Filipinos' arrest in Belgium assailed
By BEN R. ROSARIO
Angry congressmen yesterday asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to lodge a diplomatic protest with the Belgian government in connection with the alleged ''unwarranted and discriminatory'' arrest and detention of some 30 Filipinos in a bid terrorist witch hunt by the European country.Administration and opposition lawmakers stood united in condemning the Belgian government's action, saying this is tantamount to "racial profiling" and endangers the lives of millions of Filipinos abroad. Among those who assailed the arrests were Reps. Apolinario Lozada Jr. (Lakas, Negros Occidental); Augusto Baculio (Lakas, Misamis Oriental), and Crispin Beltran (Partylist, Bayan Muna) Senior Deputy Minority Leader Constantino Jaraula urged officials of all Philippine embassies to take immediate steps to prevent a repetition of the incident. "The apparent focus against Filipinos because of their skin is condemnable. The Department of Foreign Affairs must immediately act to protest our countrymen against an over-reaction to the worldwide war against terrorism," Jaraula said. Lozada said the intensified war against terrorism is not a justification for the "unfair and inhumane dawn raids" on 19 Filipino homes in Belgium last Sept. 20. According to Lozada, Filipinos, including women and their children, were arrested, detained and interrogated for eight to 12 hours by Belgian police and immigration authorities. "Just because the Philippines was tagged as part of Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network does not make all of the 76 million Filipinos terrorists. The handful group of Abu Sayyaf is the lone terrorist cell known in the country, ergo, only its members should be treated harshly," he said. Baculio said the DFA should immediately conduct an investigation into the incident. According to Baculio, the Belgian government's "impulsive and emotional" response to the call for war against global terrorism may have resulted in the violation of human rights of Filipinos based in the European nation. "The media reports have made it clear that Belgium resorted to racial profiling which is considered by the United Nations as an illegal act," the Mindanao solon explained. In a separate press statement, Beltran asked the DFA and Malacañang to demand a public apology from Belgians for subjecting Filipinos to abuse. "This is an international outrage, and the Philippine government should insist that the Belgian authorities - even the King of Belgium himself - apologize to the Filipinos they locked up and maltreated," he said.

belgian authorities did the right thing most of them people are terriost philpinos saudi arabians, and also the philipinos could have been a bunch of immigrents who had no right being in belgium they was illeagal i give all thanks to what the belgian authorities did and they should keep doing the same for people like philipnos no apoligy nessary