A Filipino truck driver held hostage in Iraq was freed and handed over to his country's representatives in Baghdad today.
A video grab of Mr de la Cruz while being held hostage
He was first handed over to officials from the United Arab Emirates and later transported to the Filipino embassy in Baghdad.
Manila ignored criticism from the United States, Australia and Iraq's interim government, which accused it of bowing to terrorists, and completed the withdrawal of its humanitarian contingent of troops yesterday in response to demands from the kidnappers.
The Philippine ambassador in Baghdad could not be reached, and a source at the embassy said he had heard nothing.
Militants threatening to behead Mr Angelo de la Cruz had set a July 20th deadline for Philippine troops to leave Iraq.
Kidnappers have seized dozens of foreigners since April to press demands for foreign troops to leave Iraq, to deter foreigners from working with US forces or to extract ransoms.
Many hostages have been freed, including an Egyptian released yesterday, but at least four have been killed. An American and a South Korean were beheaded by a group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Egyptian driver Mr Mohammed al-Gharabawi was freed after the Saudi firm he worked for met kidnappers' demands by promising to stop doing work in Iraq.
"In the beginning, in the first few days, I was threatened," Mr Gharabawi said at the Egyptian embassy in Baghdad last night. "It was a real threat to me; they were shouting at me and pushing me with guns."
A group led by Mr Zarqawi seized two Bulgarians earlier this month and sent video footage to Al Jazeera television showing one of them being beheaded. Hopes that the second is alive are fading.
A Turk may also have been taken hostage in Iraq, colleagues said yesterday.