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Sunday, November 06, 2005
Palace assures justice for rape victim of 5 GIs
MANILA -- Malacañang said Saturday the justice and foreign affairs department are doing everything to ensure justice will be given to the 22-year-old Filipino woman who was allegedly raped by five American servicemen last Nov. 1 in Zambales.
The Philippines stands for justice, the dignity of women and the rule of law and these shall be pursued and fulfilled by the government, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.
"But let us not act like a lynch mob because we ourselves do not want Filipinos to be lynched in other countries where they may have run afoul of the law. Let every one be assured that we will pursue full justice for the victim and dignity for our country," Bunye said.
Bunye in a radio interview assured that the incident will be investigated in accordance with Philippines laws and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States.
The VFA is a treaty between the Philippines and the US that institutionalizes the rules on the treatment of American servicemen who are in the country to hold military exercises with Filipino troops.
"We will make sure that justice and due process will prevail," Bunye said, adding that full assistance will be accorded to the Filipina. "Everybody is doing his job as far as seeing to it that justice is done."
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, through Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, has called for a thorough investigation of the case to ensure that justice is done.
Bunye said the US government, through its Manila embassy, is cooperating fully with the Philippine authorities conducting the investigation.
No effect on exercises
Meanwhile, a military spokesman said the alleged rape of a Filipino woman by five US Marines won't affect future joint military exercises in the country.
Five US Marines who took part in recent joint counter-terrorism exercises have been named in a rape complaint and barred from leaving the country. Authorities have been unable to identify the sixth man accused of raping the woman Tuesday in the former US naval base in Subic Bay west of Manila.
Women's rights activists marched in Manila for a second day Saturday to protest the alleged assault and demanding the abrogation of the VFA.
The accord spells out the privileges and obligations of American troops in the Philippines and allows the joint exercises to take place.
"We believe that (the incident) will not in any way affect the conduct of the war exercises," said Philippine military spokesman Colonel Tristan Kison.
"The US has signified its intention to cooperate in the resolution of the case, so I don't think there will be a problem in this agreement. As long as the two countries respect the agreement, there will be no problem."
He said the accord was under constant scrutiny, adding, "We have no intention of suspending the agreement."
The US Embassy, which has custody of the Marines under the terms of the accord, has refused to identify them or their unit, but has promised to cooperate in the investigation.
Government prosecutors will begin preliminary investigations next week to determine if there is enough evidence to bring the case to court.
Assistant prosecutor Raymond Viray said the state prosecutor will issue subpoenas to the Marines ordering them to respond to the charges.
Congresswoman Milagros Magsaysay, whose district includes part of Subic--now an industrial and tourism estate--said she spoke with the alleged rape victim Wednesday and the woman was "in a state of shock."
Magsaysay said the woman claimed she was raped inside a van as it was driven through Subic, but that she couldn't remember details because she passed out.
Magsaysay cited the Filipino driver of the van as saying one of the Marines raped the woman while the others cheered him on.
She said another witness told Magsaysay that he saw the woman being carried from the van "like a pig" and "dumped" on a roadside wearing only underwear and a T-shirt. As the van drove away, one of the Americans tossed the woman's pants at her, the witness told her.
The driver identified the six US servicemen suspected of raping the Filipino woman as Keith Silkwood, Daniel Smith, Albert Lara, Dominic Duplantis, Corey Barris, and Chad Capent as the ones who raped the Filipino woman.
The six US Marines were charged with rape before the Olongapo City Prosecutor's Office around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Prosecutors Ramon Viray and Joel Samonte are handling the rape charges.
About 50 activists from women's rights group Gabriela marched toward the US Embassy Saturday, demanding the handover of the five Marines to Philippine authorities. Police blocked their progress a block from the embassy and the protesters dispersed peacefully.
Under the forces agreement, judicial proceedings must be completed within a year. After that, the US government is no longer obligated to turn them over to Philippine authorities for any legal action, although they could still be tried in absentia.
Washington and Manila negotiated the Visiting Forces Agreement following the 1992 closure of all permanent U.S. military bases, which are banned under the Philippine Constitution. (AP/Sunnex)
(November 6, 2005 issue)
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