Monday, January 23, 2006
'Support for Balikatan strong in Southern RP'
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Southern Philippine military officials on Saturday threw their support to the joint RP-US Balikatan training exercises amidst call from lawmakers to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that would paralyze efforts to upgrade the capabilities of Filipino troops in combating terrorism.
The Balikatan (which means shoulder-to-shoulder) is a series of annual trainings aimed at improving RP-US combined planning, combat readiness, and interoperability while enhancing security relations and demonstrating US resolve to support the Philippines against aggression.
"There is a need to continue the joint RP-US trainings, and the scrapping of the VFA will surely paralyze our efforts to upgrade the capabilities of our soldiers, aside from the fact that it will surely have an effect on our campaign against terrorism. We cannot continue the training without the VFA," said Brigadier General Raymundo Ferrer, commander of military forces in Basilan island in the southern Philippines.
This year's joint training exercise is the 22nd in a series that began in 1981.
Ferrer said the US training is a big help to Filipino soldiers, who are ill equipped in fighting terrorism in the strife-torn region.
"Our troops benefit a lot from the Balikatan, aside from the humanitarian aspects of the training that directly benefits the thousands of poor Filipino families in areas where the trainings are held," said Ferrer, who is a veteran in Mindanao anti-insurgency campaign.
Calls are mounting for the abrogation of the VFA after the United States' refused to hand over to Philippine authorities the four US soldiers accused of raping a Filipino woman in November last year.
Senior Filipino military officials appealed to politicians to spare the Balikatan and urged them to pursue the case against the four US soldiers based on the provisions of the VFA.
Balikatan is conducted to meet RP-US obligations under the Mutual Defense Treaty.
In 1995 the Philippines ended Balikatan because of a dispute over the VFA. It was reinstated in May 1999 despite protests from the Catholic Church and other anti-US groups in the Philippines.
Ferrer said the Balikatan held in Basilan in 2002 had transformed the island from a springboard for Abu Sayyaf terror attacks to a peaceful community for both Christians and Muslims.
"After the Balikatan, Basilan has improved a lot and is now peaceful, just like the old days, and is fast becoming a trading hub in this part of the country. Ask any ordinary citizen and he will tell you the benefit of the Balikatan to their lives," he said.
US forces in Basilan worked with local troops to build roads, dig wells and provide medical service on the island, Ferrer said.
He said troops trained by the US forces have also shared their skills to other Filipino soldiers in the southern Philippines.
"We get more from these trainings and the soldiers are asking for more from the US military. We are supporting the Balikatan," Ferrer said.
Basilan was previously home to the Abu Sayyaf group, but the Balikatan training drove many of them to other areas, although many had been killed and captured in government offensives.
Hundreds of US and Filipino troops are currently holding joint anti-terror training exercise in Carmen town in Maguindanao province on the main Mindanao island, and a bigger Balikatan is underway in the southern Jolo Island.
Brigadier General Alexander Aleo, armed forces commander in Jolo Island, said the Balikatan training next month would focus more on humanitarian mission.
He said about 250 US soldiers are expected to participate in the joint training exercise.
"Aside from the joint anti-terror training, we will focus more on the conducting medical mission and other community outreach programs. The Balikatan is important to us in fighting terrorism," Aleo said.
He also said the Balikatan will provide livelihood to many Muslims and benefits thousands of people during the two-week training exercise.
He said many Muslims in Jolo island are supporting the Balikatan because they know it will provide them humanitarian projects.
Aleo said US and Filipino troops are also to build infrastructure projects in Jolo.
"Everybody will benefit from this Balikatan and it will also help the local economy and provide jobs to many Muslims," he said.
Dozens of US soldiers are already deployed in Jolo, about 950 km. south of Manila, and active in humanitarian mission, Aleo said.
Former Moro National Liberation Front rebel chieftain Nur Misuari is also supporting the Balikatan and urged his followers in Jolo to support the program during the training.
Even the influential Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo, Ibrahim Ajibul Mohammad Pulalun, has publicly announced Saturday his support to the Balikatan.
He said they would welcome the American soldiers in Jolo as a show of support.
"We are for peace and we welcome the Americans in our land. We will support their mission of peace and my people welcome them all," Sultan Pulalon said.
He urged the Muslims in the southern Philippines to support the Balikatan and erased perceptions that the region is lair to terrorists.
Former US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Joseph Mussomeli said that Mindanao could be the new "Mecca" of terrorism because of the presence of Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya militants whose groups are tied to al-Qaeda network.
"The threat is more long-term; that Mindanao is such a lawless--certain portions of Mindanao--are so lawless, so porous the borders that you run the risk of it becoming like an Afghanistan situation," Mussomeli said in an interview.
"What we do find is that it seems that the links are stronger, that Mindanao is almost, forgive the religious pun, the new ' Mecca' of terrorism," he added.
The Abu Sayyaf previously threatened to attack US targets in the Philippines, and had killed three Americans, including a soldier, in Zamboanga City.
The Balikatan 2006 demonstrates Washington's resolve to continue the commitment to train, advice and assist the Philippine military to build capacity to counter terrorism. The training is part of the US security assistance to Manila. (Al Jacinto/Sunnex)
(January 23, 2006 issue)
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