MANILA (Mindanao Examiner/ 02 Jan) - The United States Embassy in Manila on Tuesday announced the resumption of suspended joint war exercise with the Philippines, four days after an American soldier convicted of raping a Filipino woman, was handed to U.S. authorities.
American marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith had been transfered to U.S military custody late Friday after Filipino government officials whisked him away from the Makati City jail.
A local court ordered Smith locked up in jail Dec. 4 after he was found guilty of raping the 23-year old woman last year in Olongapo City.
"We look forward to resuming the Balikatan," said U.S. Embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop. "Balikatan should move forward now that the custody issue is resolved," he said.
The U.S. military announced Dec. 22 that suspension of the war games after Judge Benjamin Pozon, of the Makati Regional Trial Court, denied a petition by Smith’s lawyers to transfer him to the U.S. Embassy.
Lussenhop said they were also disappointed by the suspension of the Balikatan, which means shoulder-to-shoulder, the codename for the annual joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States.
"We're disappointed with the cancellation of the Balikatan as well. We did not raise any issue about the (court's) verdict, but the custody issue," Lussenhop said.
Filipino activists on Tuesday also burned a U.S. flag while marching in Manila to protest Smith's transfer to U.S. authorities.
Dozens of protesters from the militant group called KAISA-KA torched the flag as they marched along the busy Manila road, T.M Kalaw.
The U.S. Embassy said the transfer of Smith to U.S. authority is consistent with the terms of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), an international bilateral agreement that is binding on both the United States and the Philippines.
U.S. officials said Article V, Paragraph 6 of the Visiting Forces Agreement specifies: “That custody of any United States personnel over whom the Philippines is to exercise jurisdiction shall immediately reside with the United States military authorities, if they so request, from the commission of the offense until completion of all judicial proceedings.”
They said that Smith is not a private citizen, and therefore the handling of his case is subject to the terms of the VFA.
Philippine Interior Secy. Ronaldo Puno on Tuesday defended Smith’s trasnfer to U.S. authorities, saying, the government was just adhering to the provisions of the VFA. “There is nothing illegal here. We are just following what is stipulated in the VFA,” he said.
Lawyers supporting the woman raped by Smith said they would file criminal charges against those responsible in the trasfer of the soldier to U.S. authorities. (Mindanao Examiner)
1 comment:
Good thing. The balikatan is back.
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