Three hundred forty-two (342) Filipino peacekeepers in Syria were feted with United Nations (UN) service medals for helping in the quest for peace in Golan Heights, the Department of Foreign Affairs reported Saturday. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo awarded the recognition during the medal parade ceremonies for Filipino peacekeepers serving with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (Undof) held in 6 Camp Faouar, Syria.
“I congratulate the men and women of the 1st Philippine Peacekeeping Contingent in the Golan for effectively shouldering our responsibility as a member of the family of nations in helping keep the peace in this part of the world. You all have made us proud,” Romulo said.
The UN Disengagement Obserer Force which was established in 1974 by the Security Council is one of the longest-running UN peacekeeping missions. Its purpose was to end the Yom Kippur or Arab-Israeli War and is mandated to supervise the ceasefire between Israel and Syria; oversee the disengagement of their forces; and monitor the so-called areas of separation and limitation between the two countries. Undof is made up of 1,042 troops from the Philippines, Austria, Canada, Croatia, India, Japan and Poland.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo was the first secretary of Foreign Affairs to visit the Golan Heights to a peacekeeping mission, which came five months after the Philippines first deployed troops to support Undof. Romulo is also the Inter-Agency Council on UN Peacekeeping Operations.
Romulo, in his speech, paid tribute to Maj. Gen. Natalio Ecarma who formally assumed command of Undof on March 1. Ecarma, a former Deputy Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps, replaced Austrian Maj. Gen. Wolfgang Jilke.
Ecarma made history by becoming the first Filipino to be appointed head of a UN peacekeeping mission and the second to be named commander of a UN peacekeeping force.
“His appointment is indeed a great honor for the Philippines and the Filipino people and a clear proof that Philippine participation in peacekeeping operations has gone a long way,” Romulo pointed out.
In addition to Undof, Filipino peacekeepers are also serving in Afghanistan, Cote d’ Ivoire, Darfur, Haiti, Kashmir, Liberia, Sudan and Timor-Leste. Filipino peacekeepers have also previously served in Iraq, Burundi, Georgia, Kosovo and Nepal.
With a total of 1,062 Filipino military and police personnel deployed overseas as of the end of January this year, the Philippines has emerged as the UN’s 24th largest troop contributor. Moreover, this figure is a 40-percent increase in the number of peacekeepers serving overseas compared to the total Philippine peacekeeping deployments during the previous year.
From reports of Llanesca T. Panti Reporter
Manila Times Internet Edition
