Vice President Sara Duterte on Sunday, Nov. 26, thanked the governments of Qatar, Egypt, and Iran for their assistance in the release of Filipino hostage Jimmy Pacheco by Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Eli Cohen (right) visits Filipino Jimmy Pacheco (center) at an Israeli hospital after his release by Hamas. Also in the photo is Philippine Ambassador to Israel Pedro Laylo Jr. who joins Cohen during the visit. (Photo from Philippine Embassy in Israel/ Facebook)
In a statement released to the media, the official said that the Filipino’s release can be considered a success of the Marcos administration and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
“Ipinapaabot ko ang aking taos pusong pasasalamat sa pamahalaan ng Qatar, Egypt, at Iran sa napakahalagang tulong ng mga ito para mapalaya ang Pilipino na si Jimmy Pacheco kasama ang iba pang mga bihag ng Hamas nitong Sabado (I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the governments of Qatar, Egypt, and Iran for the very important help they did to free Filipino Jimmy Pacheco together with other hostages of Hamas this Saturday),” she said.
President Marcos and the DFA confirmed Pacheco’s release as part of the first group of hostages that Hamas released under the terms of the four-day truce negotiated by Qatar.
Pacheco is now in an Israeli hospital for medical evaluation, and had been visited there by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel Eli Cohen and Philippine Ambassador to Israel Pedro Laylo Jr.
“Ang kaligtasan ng ating kababayan na si Pacheco ay tagumpay din ng Marcos administration sa pangunguna ng Department of Foreign Affairs, lalong lalo na ng mga kawani ng embahada ng Pilipinas sa Israel (The safety of Pacheco is the success of the Marcos administration led by the Department of Foreign Affairs, especially the officials of the embassy of the Philippines in Israel),” Duterte added.
The Vice President, however, also expressed hope for the safety of Noralyn Babadilla, another Filipino believed to be taken hostage by Hamas when they ambushed southern Israel on Oct. 7.
“Hangad natin ang pagtatagumpay ng usaping pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng Israel at Hamas (We wish for the success of peace talks between Israel and Hamas),” Duterte said.
The four-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began 7 a.m. on Friday, the first pause in the near-seven-week-old war that killed 1,200 people in Israel and nearly 15,000 in Gaza.
The DFA has yet to give information about Pacheco’s repatriation, but the Philippines has ongoing repatriation efforts in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon.