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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Local execs voice stance on Pinay rape
By Danilo V. Adorador III
THE latest rape incident in Subic tagging six American soldiers has provided more grounds to abolish the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between Philippines and United States, officials here said Monday.
Leading the call for the Senate to terminate the military pact with Washington is Cagayan de Oro Mayor Vicente Emano who described the six accused GIs "evil white men."
Women officials also expressed support for the victim.
Councilor Maryanne Enteria urged government officials to prosecute the suspects under the country's justice system while Councilor Annie Daba called for tougher penalties on the suspect-soldiers.
While she does not support death penalty--the country's maximum punishment for rape, Daba said government prosecutors must gun for a multiple life sentence against the accused.
Enteria, for her part, said the country's leadership should maintain a firm stance against the incident and resist any attempts to stymie the investigations.
Meanwhile, InPeace Mindanao convenor Beverly Musni demanded the pullout of US troops in Mindanao and the cancellation of the VFA.
In a press statement, the group said there is public outcry for justice for the 22-year-old woman from Zamboanga who was raped by six US Marines in Subic since it is one of many atrocities committed by US troops in the conduct of joint US-RP exercises.
Emano for his part said the impunity of US servicemen to commit wrongdoings in the country could be attributed to Filipinos' tolerance and subservient behavior towards Americans.
The VFA, the mayor said, was one-sided and only serves the interest of the US and therefore, useless.
Under VFA provisions, the US has "primary jurisdiction" of its soldiers facing criminal cases.
"These evil Americans must be punished and this useless VFA abrogated," Emano told dxIF Bombo Radyo Monday.
The country has existing bilateral pacts with the US. These are the Military Assistance Agreement of 1947, the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951, the Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement of 1953, and the Serrano-Bohlen Memorandum of Agreement of 1958. InPeace also wants these agreements cancelled.
VFA is the latest military pact signed by the Philippines and the US government after the Senate rejected the extension of the 1947 Military Bases Agreement in 1991.
American envoys in the country, however, assured Filipinos of their cooperation in the investigation.
(November 8, 2005 issue)
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