Philippines - A training center for the United Nations peacekeepers is being set up in the Philippines in response to the brewing war between the US and Iraq.

The facilities being constructed at Camp O’Donnell in Tarlac, according to Armed Forces chief Gen. Dionisio Santiago, are for UN peacekeeping operations.

The UN would like to have Philippines as a regional center for training its peacekeepers, he added.

Santiago disclosed that about 500 Filipino troops comprising a battalion in the Armed Forces are being trained for peacekeeping duties with the UN.

"They are undergoing training," he said. "We are already having quite a number of trained people within the AFP."

Filipino troops were sent to East Timor in 2000 for peacekeeping operations before the former Indonesian province became independent.

Filipino Maj. Gen. Jaime delos Santos was in command of the UN peacekeeping force at that time.

By Y.Hilado, ChToday Philippines
editor@christiantoday.com.ph