BASILAN EXECS, RESIDENTS WANT US TROOPS TO STAY: Both the big brass and the
brass bands will be out in force Wednesday in Zamboanga City, to bid US troops
taking part in Balikatan 02-1 a rousing, even emotional, goodbye. But the
Americans are not really leaving -- at least not all of them.
The 160 US soldiers who trained Filipino troops in Basilan are staying in the
island until October, to monitor the first phase of the "Long Term Security
Assistance Package Program," Major Richard Sater said Tuesday.
Nine hundred more soldiers will be stationed in Zamboanga and Cebu cities for
similar duties, said Sater, spokesperson for US troops.
Sater confirmed that only the 355 naval engineers--the Seabees who arrived in
May to build several civil-works projects in Basilan -- have left the island.
The six-month-long Balikatan 02-1 ends formally on Wednesday, with the
highest-ranking American military officer in the Pacific and Executive Secretary
Alberto Romulo in attendance.
Romulo, representing the President, and US Admiral Thomas Fargo, commander in
chief of the US Pacific command (Cincpac), will be joined by Defense Secretary
Angelo Reyes, Armed Forces chief of staff Roy Cimatu, Southern Command chief
Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina, Brig. Gen. Donald Wurster and Brig. Gen. Emmanuel
Teodosio at the closing rites. The ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. at the
Mansion conference room of the Southern Command headquarters in Zamboanga City.
Fargo's visit heightens anticipation that the approval of the controversial Mutual
Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), which supposedly grants US forces basing
rights, is imminent. Fargo and Cimatu are the co-chairs of the Mutual Defense
Board. US Secretary of State Colin Powell will meet President Macapagal-Arroyo
on Saturday.
In Basilan, the epicenter of the Abu Sayyaf crisis, residents and government
officials said the departure of the US forces was "a big loss."
Residents were one in saying they wanted the Americans to stay longer.
Philippines Daily Inquirer, 31 July 2002
POWELL FACES POLITICAL STORM: A political storm awaits US Secretary of State
Colin Powell when he comes visiting this weekend, after party-list
representatives accused an American soldier of shooting a civilian allegedly
linked to the Abu Sayyaf and two militant groups said they had lined up a
series of protest actions.
Bayan Muna Representatives Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza had called for a
congressional probe of the alleged shooting on Saturday.
US forces spokesperson Maj. Richard Sater said he did not know any American
soldier by the name of Lane, but in Zamboanga City the chief of the Southern
Command confirmed that "a black American" with the same name was indeed in
Basilan on Wednesday, when Isnijal was arrested.
But Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina, the highest-ranking officer in Mindanao,
denied Lane was present in the operation.
Other militant groups took up the shooting issue Sunday.
"The first thing Powell must do upon his arrival is produce and surrender the
US soldier and let him face criminal charges," peasant leader Rafael Mariano
said in a statement.
His group, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, called for "the immediate
halt of the ongoing and scheduled Balikatan ‘exercises’ while investigations
are pending in Congress."
The militant fisherfolk group, Pamalakaya, accused both the President and
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes of giving "US soldiers like Reggie Lane full
blanket authority to fire guns on ordinary folks just to please the US
mercenaries and troublemakers."
In Congress, Akbayan party-list Rep. Etta Rosales said the House civil,
political and human rights committee, which she chairs, will call for an
investigation, jointly with the House foreign affairs committee.
But in Zamboanga City, Carolina said the Isnijal controversy was a "last-ditch
effort by the anti-Americans and anti-Balikatan to cry foul because the joint
military exercise is about to end."
The six-month-long Balikatan 02-1 ends on Wednesday.
Spokespersons for both the Armed Forces and the US troops taking part in
Balikatan denied Americans were involved in Wednesday’s operation.
The newly promoted SouthCom chief, one of the candidates for AFP chief of staff,
said Isnijal was not an ordinary criminal but a feared member of the Abu Sayyaf.
In Guagua, the President told reporters she had asked Defense Secretary Reyes
to look into the alleged incident.
Carolina’s statements offended members of the International Solidarity Movement,
an international mission of peace activists looking into reports of human rights
violations, who visited Basilan over the weekend.
"How shocking. I could not believe that a respected general like him could say
those words," Chicago-based Rev. Dan Dale said. Malcolm Guy, an American
independent filmmaker, said Carolina’s attitude made him fear for the lives of
Basilan witnesses.
Mary Grenough of the MaryKnoll Sisters, from New York, said she was also worried
about the safety of the witnesses against Lane.
She said it was impossible for Judaira to lie because there were 10 military men
present when she executed her affidavit.
David Pugh, an American civil rights lawyer, urged the Armed Forces of the
Philippines and Brig. Gen. Donald Wurster, chief of Joint Task Force 510, "to
produce the names, ranks and units of the three US" soldiers accused of shooting
Isnijal. He said Wurster should prevent the three from leaving the country
"to face charges against them."
Philippines Daily Inquirer, 29 July 2002
US TROOPS BACK IN BIGGER NUMBERS COME OCTOBER: Manila has agreed to host for
nine months beginning October joint military exercises involving what could be
the biggest deployment of US troops here since the Americans left their bases in
Clark and Subic in 1991.
The exercises, the second to be held this year, aim to train Filipino soldiers
on how to respond to terrorist threats — similar to the six-month long Balikatan
war games in Zamboanga and Basilan which end on July 31.
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes predicted that the military exercises that would
last until June next year would be trouble-free.
Reyes added the documents allowing a total of eight battalions, totaling 4,000
troops, in Luzon and Mindanao are now awaiting the signature of President
Macapagal-Arroyo.
The exercises would be the biggest and longest to be undertaken by Filipino and
American soldiers. Such exercises, military officials said, usually take a few
weeks to two months at the most.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Roy Cimatu refused to
specify how many of the 4,000 troops expected to participate are Americans.
Cimatu also allayed fears that longer and bigger war games were a prelude to a
more permanent US military presence in the country.
The exercises, Cimatu said, primarily involve the training of LRCs and the
infantry brigade, night flying training for helicopter pilots, military fusion
and a workshop for trainors to ensure that the inputs would trickle down the
command line even after the program is completed in June next year.
At the same time, Reyes acknowledged that an agreement covering the transfer and
storage of supplies and weapons to be used during the war games or similar
activities would be concluded before the start of the exercises.
He refused to confirm reports that the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement
(MLSA) would be signed when US Secretary of State Colin Powell arrives in
Manila for a two-day visit starting Aug 2.
Manila Times, 24 July 2002
US SHIP DOCKS IN BASILAN; GI’S GOING HOME: ZAMBOANGA CITY--American warship
USS Fort McHenry docked Sunday near the island of Basilan to transport US military
engineers that participated in counter-terrorism operations against the Abu Sayyaf
bandits.
Maj. Richard Sater, spokesperson for the US contingent, said the ship will be
anchored off Basilan for several days until the US Seabees engineers complete
loading of equipment.
About 340 US military engineers and a Marine support group built roads, repaired
an airstrip, a wharf and bridges to make the jungle-clad island more accessible to
US Special Forces that trained and assisted Filipino troops against the Abu Sayyaf
gunmen.
The joint exercises are to officially end on July 31, but Manila and Washington
have agreed to sustain counter-terrorism operations. A second batch of US forces
is expected to land in the South in October, officials said.
Philippines Daily Inquirer, 22 July 2002
‘BALIKATAN HAS GREATLY IMPROVED FIGHTING CAPABILITY OF AFP’: A US military official
said yesterday the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has greatly improved its
capability to fight Abu Sayyaf terrorist guerrillas in Mindanao as a result of a
joint military training exercise between the two countries.
Brig. Gen. Donald Wurster, commander of the US forces participating in the six-month
war games in the island-province of Basilan and nearby Zamboanga City, also revealed
that talks were going on for the grant to the AFP of military hardware and
communications equipment.
Wurster also cited roads in Basilan that were newly constructed or rehabilitated by
the US Seabees and military engineers under the social outreach component of the
maneuvers dubbed Balikatan 02-1.
On the possibility of a resurgence of Abu Sayyaf terrorist activities after the US
forces have been pulled out, Wurster said "I think the AFP is properly organized,
trained and equipped to do the job."
Wurster warned Philippine authorities against underestimating the Abu Sayyaf,
saying; "You could not choose a harder situation."
He described the Abu Sayyaf as a "mobile enemy, with no fixed infrastructure, moves
in small groups and enjoys good intelligence network."
He said the AFP can match the Abu Sayyaf’s mass base intelligence network by also
tapping the help of civilians.
Philippine Star, 19 July 2002
US SPECIAL FORCES TO BE DEPLOYED TO BASILAN FRONT LINES: ZAMBOANGA CITY – The US
Special Forces participating in the joint RP-US "Balikatan 02-1" exercises on
Basilan island will soon be deployed at the front-line after they received orders
to assist local troops at the company level.
US army Maj. Cynthia Teramae, spokeswoman for US Joint Task Force 510, refused to
reveal when the deployment would start but confirmed that US troops stationed in
Basilan have already received orders to do so.
"Mainly, it involves a small group of our Special Forces advisers," Teramae told
The Associated Press, adding that they might watch their local counterparts conduct
patrols and apply the training they have received the past six months.
While the terms of reference that govern the Balikatan exercises prohibit US troops
from engaging in combat, they are allowed to fire back to defend themselves.
"It is our feeling that the presence of the US and the Armed Forces there have
created an environment where people want to come home to the homes they had
previously left," Teramae said.
She said many residents of remote barangays in Basilan have started to rebuild the
homes, churches, mosques and schools.
"It’s an area where people started to come out of their homes after dark. It is a
significant success story (because) people in Basilan feel safe and secure," she said.
A US-based relief organization has also begun to assess what kind of assistance
it could extend to Basilan residents after the Balikatan exercises end on July 31.
Philippine Star, 3 July 2002
LAWMAKERS QUESTION TERMS OF NEW MILITARY DEAL WITH US: Congressmen reacted
cautiously Tuesday to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s announcement that the
Philippines and the United States had entered into a "sustained" military
cooperation agreement, with House of Representatives leaders saying an indefinite
timetable would violate the Constitution.
"I want to know the duration because it should not be indefinite. It would amount
to permanent basing for the US, which is not allowed by our Constitution," said
the chairperson of the House foreign relations committee, Representative
Apolinario Lozada.
Questions about timing aside, related developments are certain to heat up the
policy debate about future "Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder)" Philippine-US joint
military exercises.
A spokesperson for the American contingent said US troops taking part in Balikatan
02-1 had been given permission to train and assist Philippine soldiers right on
the frontlines of the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf bandit group.
In Washington, US President George W. Bush ordered up to 10 million dollars in
counter-terrorism aid for the Philippines.
The Philippine-US Mutual Defense Board, which met in Honolulu last week, has
included a "long-term program against terrorism" in its current five-year plan.
"There's nothing wrong with (the sustained program) but there must be new terms
of reference," said House Deputy Speaker for the Visayas Raul Gonzalez.
Lozada urged President Macapagal to convene the National Security Council to
discuss her plan to extend the Balikatan but on a smaller scale and with wider
coverage. "For as long as it is covered by a new terms of reference, it should
not be a problem," he said in a phone interview.
Both Gonzalez and Lozada warned that the sustained program should have a definite
timeframe. "It should not be permanent because it would violate our Constitution.
They can do it in stages," Gonzalez said.
Lozada said he wanted to see the definite plans first before giving his support
or withholding it. He said general terms of reference (TOR) for a sustained
Balikatan should spell out the total number of participating US troops, the
specific areas where the joint training exercises will be held, and the duration
of the exercises.
Philippines Daily Inquirer, 3 July 2002
ALL US TROOPS WILL LEAVE ON JULY 31, SAYS WURSTER: All US troops involved in
Balikatan 02-1 will leave as soon as the joint war exercise ends on July 31,
Brig. Gen. Donald Wurster, commander of the US forces, said in an interview.
Wurster said the 160 men from the Special Forces will be redeployed to Hawaii
while the Seabees who are engaged in road construction and other civic projects
in Basilan "will be picked up by a ship . . . and they will sail away. They
will go home."
However, technological and humanitarian assistance will continue, Wurster said
in an interview in Zamboanga City during the week.
But instead of deploying US Seabees to work on the projects, Wurster said
"I'd rather bring the money and have a contract to hire the people to do the work."
Under the set-up, US engineers will prepare the design for the projects, and
submit it for a public bidding among Filipino contractors. "So we say, here's
what needs to be done. Here's the material list. Here's the contract and the bid.
Here's the price to do that, and we will hire," he said.
He said he expects to see the contracts before the Balikatan ends on July 31.
Already, the US troops have constructed helicopter landing zones, improved the
airfields and roads in Basilan. But Wurster said these projects were intended
mainly for the use of the US troops deployed there to train, assist and advise
the local military in the fight against the Abu Sayyaf.
Philippines Daily Inquirer, 1 July 2002
