Apart from the issues of custody arising from the Subic Rape case, Bayan said that it also plans to question the “duration and scope of the seemingly permanent presence of US troops in Mindanao.”
Bulatlat.com
Vol. VIII, No. 31, September 7-13, 2008
The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan-New Patriotic Alliance), through its lawyers, would question the presence of ‘overstaying US troops’ during the scheduled oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the group’s petition against the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
The petition questioning the constitutionality of the treaty was filed last year and is scheduled for oral arguments on September 19.
The VFA was ratified by the Philippine Senate in 1999.
Apart from the issues of custody arising from the Subic Rape case, Bayan said that it also plans to question the “duration and scope of the seemingly permanent presence of US troops in Mindanao.”
Renato M. Reyes, Jr., Bayan secretary general, said, “The continuing presence of US troops in various parts of Mindanao already goes beyond what the Philippine Senate contemplated as ‘temporary’ during its deliberations on the VFA in 1999.”
He said that the Senate deliberations defined ‘temporary’ as being about six months. “The US troops have been in Mindanao for six years,” Reyes said.
Worse
The Bayan leader said that the VFA does not ‘define in clear and uncertain terms the scope, duration of stay and the extent of the engagement of US troops.’
He said that even the Terms of Reference of the Balikatan 02-1 was vague. “It did not define the length of stay nor did it give assurances that the US troops will not engage in actual combat operations.”
Reyes maintained that the US troops are embedded in combat units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and are involved in actual combat operations.
“In some ways, it is worse than the previous US bases agreement because of its vagueness. For all intents and purposes, an unlimited number of US troops can stay here for an unlimited period of time, even if there are no joint military exercises,” Reyes said.
The group also said that “informal basing structures” were being created under the RP-US Mutual Logistics Agreement (MLSA), a complimentary arrangement with the VFA.
The MLSA allows US troops to use Philippine facilities for whatever purposes during their stay in the country. The agreement was renewed last year after five years in effect.
Reyes called the MLSA as “quasi-basing agreement.” He said that the establishment of the headquarters of the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTFP) inside Camp Don Basilio Navarro, the air asset facility inside the Zamboanga City International Airport, a docking area at the Majini Pier inside the Naval Forces Western Mindanao Command, and the training facility inside Camp Arturo Enrile in Malagutay village are all made possible under the MLSA.
Said facilities were cited in a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
“The VFA and the MLSA are twin agreements which re-established US military presence in the country after the US bases treaty rejection of 1991. These agreements violate the Philippine constitution and the nation’s sovereignty,” Reyes said.
The group challenged the Senate to exercise its oversight functions and immediately probe the presence of the US troops in Mindanao. Bayan urged the Senate to conduct an on-site inspection of the facilities being set up by the US troops. (Bulatlat.com)
