ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The new Filipino ambassador to Iraq has made his first visit to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, since taking office two months ago.
Ambassador Elmer Cato told Rudaw on Tuesday the trip was made largely to assess the security and condition of the 1,000 Filipinos living and working in the area. He seemed to have good first impressions of Kurdistan.
“It is safe and stable here,” Cato told Rudaw. “We know there are a lot of development opportunities. We want to expand our country’s relationship further than just economics.”
Last year with the onslaught of the Islamic State, the Philippines stopped allowing its citizens to come to Iraq and work, Cato said. He acknowledged, however, that security concerns in Erbil are far less than in other areas in Iraq.
“We will take what we see and deliver the message to Manila,” he said.
Cato said he has spoken to several Filipino workers in Erbil and has received positive reviews of the city’s security situation.
“They feel safe and protected by the KRG,” he said. “They say that the way Kurds treat them is different than other countries. They say they feel like part of the family here.”
Despite the security situation, Cato said, Manila’s policy on Filipinos moving to Iraq is only temporary until officials get a feel for it and see if it is safe.
“We still think we’ll be able to strengthen our relationship with all of Iraq,” he said, adding that his main concern as ambassador will be to “strengthen not only government to government relations, but also people to people relations.”
