<figure class="image-550">
<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-29/philippine-iraq-contengint-return.webp" 
alt="Philippine military personnel in camouflage uniforms smile and wave their hands as they walk in a line indoors." />
<figcaption>
Members of the Philippine humanitarian contingent return home following President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's ordered pullout from Iraq in July 2004.
</figcaption>
</figure>


<h2>
Background: The Alliance in Iraq
</h2>
<p>
Following the September 11 attacks, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo firmly aligned the Philippines with U.S. President George W. Bush’s global "War on Terror." When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, Manila joined the <b>"Coalition of the Willing"</b> - a group of nations offering political or military backing to the American-led mission.
</p>
<p>
The Philippines sent a modest <b>51-member humanitarian contingent</b> consisting of 10 military officers, 33 enlisted soldiers, and a handful of police and healthcare workers under the command of Brigadier General Jovito Palparan. Their job wasn't frontline combat; they were stationed under Polish command to assist in rebuilding infrastructure and providing medical care to Iraqi civilians. Their deployment was originally scheduled to conclude on August 20, 2004.
</p>
<h2>
The Abduction that Gripped a Nation
</h2>
<p>
The geopolitical landscape shattered on <time datetime="2004-07-07">July 7, 2004</time>. <b>Angelo de la Cruz</b> (frequently referred to in initial dispatches as Angelito), a 46-year-old Filipino truck driver and father of eight from Mexico, Pampanga, was ambushed near the volatile city of Fallujah.
</p>
<p>
De la Cruz was an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) employed by a Saudi Arabian company subcontracted to haul fuel and supplies for the U.S. military. During the ambush, his Iraqi security escort, a man named Amer, was killed.
</p>
<p>
Days later, a horrifying video surfaced on the Arabic news network Al Jazeera. It showed De la Cruz kneeling in a bright orange jumpsuit, flanked by three masked, heavily armed militants. The captors identified themselves as the <b>Khaled Ibn al-Walid Brigade</b>, an insurgent group linked to the <b>Islamic Army in Iraq</b>. Their ultimatum was simple and brutal:
</p>
<div class="article-comment">
<p>
Withdraw the 51-member Philippine contingent from Iraq by <time datetime="2004-07-20">July 20, 2004</time> - one month ahead of schedule - or De la Cruz would be beheaded.
</p>
</div>

The Day the PH Defied the US: 2004 Iraq Pullout

The ultimate showdown between global alliance and domestic survival. Learn how the 2004 Angelo de la Cruz kidnapping changed Philippine foreign policy.

July 19, 2004: Arroyo ordered the pullout of the Philippine humanitarian contingent out of Iraq