The Philippines said Monday that it has completed the controversial withdrawal of its peacekeeping contingent from Iraq, meeting a demand by Iraqi insurgents threatening to behead a Filipino hostage.
The last members of the 51-strong force made an "exit call'' on the new Polish commander at their base in Hillah, south of Baghdad, then waved as they left in six cars.
Foreign Secretary Delia Albert said they would travel by road to Kuwait, a several-hour trip, then take a commercial flight home.
There was still no word on the release of Mr de la Cruz, who was last seen in a video shown by Arabic satellite channel Al Jazeera on Thursday in which he said he would be coming home.
In the videotape, the 46-year-old looked in good health, unlike in previous tapes in which he sat in front of gunmen and was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, typical of US jails and worn by foreign hostages in the tapes sent by their militant captors.