Last week, the Filipino community in Jersey City offered prayers, gestures of sympathy, and came together for a special Mass held at the Philippine Consulate in Manhattan, hoping to stop the beheading of a Filipino truck driver, Angelo dela Cruz, who was abducted by a militant group in Iraq.

But in the last few days, a picture of a conflict-ridden ethnic community emerged as many Filipinos showed mixed reactions to the Philippine’s government decision on Wednesday to withdraw its 51 troops from Iraq in exchange for the release of dela Cruz.

The Iraqi Islamic Army, Khaled bin Al-Waleed Corps, which is holding dela Cruz, said they would release him when the last Filipino soldier leaves Iraq, which they demanded be done by Tuesday, according to a statement read yesterday on the satellite television channel Al-Jazeera.

The channel aired a video of dela Cruz yesterday in which he thanked his government for agreeing to withdraw its troops.

In a beauty salon at Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City, Gelene C. Agbay, a 39-year-old hair stylist, expressed frustration and disbelief to her customers over the Philippine pullout.

"It's a shame that the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been swayed by the threats of international terrorists," Agbay, of West Side Avenue in Jersey City, said in Tagalog as she clipped a customer's hair. "Now terrorists may think that hostage-taking is an effective way to scare the countries that fight against their operations."

Like other Filipinos in Jersey City, Agbay said she believed it may save the life of one person, but leave the whole country in peril as it loses the trust of foreign allies, especially the United States.

Though she is a strong supporter of the Arroyo administration – her family originally came from Pampanga, a town in the northern Philippines where Arroyo's father was born – Agbay said this time she had to disagree with the president.

"Of course I don't want anyone to die, but saving dela Cruz will certainly not stop the terrorists to kidnap and kill foreign nationals," said Agbay, who came to the United States four years ago. "I don't think it will guarantee protection for the lives of thousands of Filipino contract workers in Iraq either. If we have lost the trust of (the) United States because of this issue, that tells us

something. As we know, the Filipino migration to the United States continues."

Rio Guerrero, a Filipino-American immigration lawyer, holds a more sanguine view about the possible effects of a policy rift between the two governments on U.S. immigration policy.

"Specifically, there is a growing concern that the U.S. government may implement immigration policies that adversely impact Filipinos," he said. "U.S. immigration policy is shaped by a multitude of political, social and economic forces. It is unlikely that these events alone will substantially alter the already restrictive U.S. immigration policy against Filipinos."

But in a deli at the Journal Square PATH station, Tom Simba, 67, met his peers for coffee to discuss his support for the Philippine pullout.

"I certainly believe that Arroyo, with such a decision, will gain a solid ground from the Filipinos back home," said Simba, a retired cook who lives on Kennedy Boulevard. "To save the life of dela Cruz is a mirror that the Arroyo Administration is true to the promise of security and safety for millions of overseas Filipino contract workers, who send billions of remittances each year." Simba tried to convince his 12 Filipino friends that withdrawing the troops from Iraq would put a halt to the violent demonstrations in Manila and help the

nation regain political stability.

"The U.S.-led war is driven by a motive to get Iraq's oil reserves, anyway," he said.

On Monday in Manhattan, Philippine Consul General Cecilia Rebong urged the Filipino community to continue praying for the safe release of dela Cruz, while a group of Filipino advocates staged a rally outside the Philippine Center asking for a pullout of the troops.

On the videotape, dela Cruz thanked Arroyo for her decision and asked her to uphold it, according to Al-Jazeera.

The Philippine government had no immediate reaction. It has been cautious after hopes for an imminent release on Saturday were dashed. The government imposed a news blackout Tuesday that left even foreign diplomats questioning Arroyo's strategy.

The Philippine contingent had been scheduled to leave Aug. 20 and its apparent early withdrawal has drawn sharp condemnation from allies worried that the move signals a capitulation to terrorists.

"In a time of test where enemies demand that you kneel. I just ask you please, don't confuse your enemies or your friends," U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone told reporters yesterday after a meeting with Philippine Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

Editor's note: Angelo dela Cruz was freed Tuesday by an Iraqi militant group, one day after his nation withdrew its final peacekeepers from Iraq – a move that met the kidnappers' demands but angered U.S. and Iraqi officials. As of press time, dela Cruz was flown to Abu Dhabi for a medical checkup before going back to the Philippines.