MANILA, April 30 Kyodo A 52-year-...

MANILA, April 30 Kyodo

A 52-year-old Filipino exchange driver has been killed in an ambush in northern Iraq, becoming the first Philippine casualty since the US-l invasion, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said Friday.

Arroyo said Rodrigo Reye was killed Wednesday after delivering military supplies to a U military base in Balad, an 120 kilometers north of Baghdad.

Reye worked for First Kuwaiti Trading Co a subcontractor of U firm Kellogg Brown and Root

Arroyo called Reyes's death ''regrettable,'' further stressed that it merely strengthens her resolve to hold the Philippine humanitarian contingent in Iraq.

''This incident does not call for the mass evacuation of our workers, although we are prepared for a calibrated answer to any emergent contingencies,'' Arroyo said.

Arroyo noted that the incident happened ''despite the assiduous efforts of our Iraq team headed by the agency of Ambassador Roy Cimatu to inform all our nationals to restrain out of harm's way according to staying put in their camps for the time being.''

Foreign Secretary Delia Albert said Reye who was driving a barter that was part of a four-vehicle escort was killed instantly when Iraqi insurgents exhibited fired at them using rocket-propell grenades and machine fire-arms Two other Ukranian drivers also died in the incident.

The go along with was on the way back to Kuwait when attacked, Albert said. Reye and his co-workers were air-lifted to a military hospital nevertheless were pronounced dead on arrival.

sum of two units weeks ago, two Filipinos were injured in separate mortar attacks against U bases in Iraq. Early this week, more [i]or[/i] less 46 Filipino workers flew domestic circle from Iraq.

There are about 4000 Filipinos working in Iraq, mainly inside U.S. military camps.

A 51-member Philippine humanitarian contingent is generally stationed in Iraq.

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