The Philippine troops Thursday still waited for the order to go to Iraq to bring back the humanitarian contingent members in the country a day after the Philippine government announced that eight of them had been withdrawn from Iraq.

Philippine Air Force spokesman Major Restituto Padilla said no order had yet been received to pull troops out, and the two C-130 aircraft were now conducting missions in the south of the country.

"Nothing yet.... In fact, the two aircraft that were supposed to be on standby for Iraq are now conducting missions in Mindanao (the southern Philippine island)," he said.

Police Major Honorio Agnila from the department in charge of the police deployment said officers in Iraq were continuing to go about their normal duties, the ABS-CBN online news reported.

"There is no word yet, they are still there... They are workingat the police academy as trainers. They are teaching the local police, who are former Iraqi military," he said. "They have not been given any orders (to leave) yet.

As a component of the Armed Forces peacekeeping center, we just follow their orders."

Asked about whether the eight policeman of the Philippine 51-member humanitarian contingent in Iraq had been withdrawn as reported, Philippine National Police spokesman Joel Goltiao told Xinhua by phone he was not authorized to make any announcement about the hostage crisis.

Philippine government announced Wednesday a token pullout of eight of the Philippine humanitarian contingent members, 43 soldiers and eight policeman, to avert the possible execution of Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz by Iraqi militants.

"The Foreign Affairs Ministry is coordinating the pullout of the humanitarian contingent with the Ministry of National Defense.As of today (Wednesday), our headcount is down from 51 to 43," Foreign Secretary Delia Albert said in a brief statement, without elaborating, apparently in line with the presidential palace's earlier policy for a news blackout on the hostage crisis.

Militants in Iraq have threatened to kill hostage Angelo de la Cruz unless Manila withdraws its troops from Iraq by July 20, a month ahead of schedule.

Filipino diplomats in Manila have said they believe de la Cruz is alive and well, but a news blackout imposed on immediate developments by the presidential palace to limit speculation made little new information available.

Source: Xinhua