U.S. Troops Participating in Joint Military Drills Subject to Philippine Laws

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, January 27, 2002

U.S. Troops Participating in Joint Military Drills Subject to Philippine Laws

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Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said Saturday that U.S. troops participating in the ongoing joint Philippine-American military exercises are subject to all the Philippine laws unless the government decides to waive its jurisdiction over them.

The local dzBB radio quoted Perez as saying that monitoring teams have been formed to assure that the American troops do not commit any offense while they are in the country for the joint wargames, dubbed Balikatan (Shoulder to Shoulder).

The Visiting Forces Agreement between the two countries, under which the military drills are being held, provides that while the Philippines has jurisdiction over erring American personnel, the government could waive this right upon request by the U.S. government depending on the nature of the offense mentioned under the agreement.

The Philippine Senate ratified the agreement in May 1999 allowing the resumption of large-scale Philippine-American joint military exercises in the country.

Some 660 U.S. soldiers will eventually be deployed to the southern Philippines where about 160 soldiers from U.S. special forces units will join local troops in operations against the Abu Sayyaf, which Washington listed as a terrorist group with links tothe al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden after the terror attacks on the United States on September 11 last year.

Critics said the war games violated the country's Constitution.Civilian groups in Manila and other parts of the country held protest rallies in the past several days demanding the pullout of American soldiers.

The government, defending the U.S. military presence in the country, said the American troops are here only to train the localmilitary in counter-terrorism and are banned from engaging in actual combat operations against the Abu Sayyaf although they are allowed to carry weapons and fire back if attacked.

The Abu Sayyaf bandits, which began a new kidnapping spree lastMay, are still holding an American couple and a Philippine nurse in the southern island of Basilan.

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