The Philippines banned its citizens on Thursday from going to work in Iraq after militants took a Filipino hostage and threatened to behead him unless Washington's staunch Asian ally withdraws its troops there.
Ministers met in emergency session but made no decision on how to respond to the demand that Manila pull out its small force of about 50 humanitarian workers in what would be a symbolic blow to US efforts to stabilise the country.
The country's top diplomat in Baghdad ended doubt over the nationality of a man shown by Arabic satellite channel Al Jazeera dressed in an orange jump-suit and kneeling before 3 gunmen.
"We confirmed it through our different contacts here in Baghdad and Qatar," Ricardo Endaya told Philippine television. "This is a confirmed kidnapping situation."
ABS-CBN television station reported the hostage's name as Angelo dela Cruz, who had been working as a truck driver.
Facing her first major test since winning a new term in May elections, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the ban on Philippine migrant workers heading to Iraq and sent her top Middle East envoy to Baghdad to assess the situation.
Militants have seized dozens of foreigners in recent weeks and beheaded a South Korean hostage last month after Seoul rejected their demands to pull out 670 South Korean medics and engineers from Iraq and drop plans to send in 3,000 troops.
A spokesman for Arroyo said the government wanted to take a similar low-profile approach to that used by Turkey in securing the release of five hostages under threat of execution last week.
"It's very hard to make a policy statement," said Defence Secretary Eduardo Ermita, adding that Arroyo's decision would depend on the findings of her envoy, former general Roy Cimatu.
About 120 workers due to leave for Iraq on Thursday afternoon were stopped by immigration officials from boarding their flight after Arroyo issued the order to halt new deployments.
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