RP-US Balikatan 07 will push through - US

By Ronron
Jan. 2, 2007 (Tuesday)

Manila - Four days after it got custody of convicted rapist Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, the United States (US) government announced on Tuesday the resumption of the Balikatan exercises with Philippine troops this year.

“Now that the custody issue has been addressed, hopefully, we’ll be able to go forward with Balikatan,” US Embassy in Manila spokesman Matthew Lussenhop said in a television interview.

Lussenhop could not immediately say, however, the exact date for the annual military training exercises, although it has been held traditionally in late February or in March of every year.

The US government announced last December 22 the cancellation of the holding of the war games, which go with some humanitarian assistance projects for local depressed communities, due to the alleged non-compliance of the Philippine government with the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), particularly on the detention of Smith at the Makati City Jail.

Smith, 21, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Makati City judge Benjamin Pozon last December 4, 2006 after he was found guilty of raping a native of Zamboanga City, identified in public as “Nicole.” The crime happened on the night of November 1, 2005 in Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales as Smith and his fellow war games participants were about to leave the country.

On Friday evening, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) authorized the transfer of Smith to the US Embassy in Manila, citing the agreement made by Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and US Ambassador to Manila Kristie Kenney that Smith may be held under US custody while his conviction is under appeal at the Court of Appeals.

Asked if the cancellation of the Balikatan was a way by the US to pressure Philippines to give in to their custody request, Lussenhop replied: “I wouldn’t characterize it as a pressure… When Balitakan was cancelled a couple of weeks ago, it was because there was a custody issue and the issue of the Philippine government’s … compliance with the Visiting Forces Agreement. That’s the agreement that provides the legal framework for all visiting forces. And as Balikatan was the next big exercise coming up, in the planning and preparing for that exercises, they needed to make that decision (to cancel).”

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it is looking forward to the resumption of the Balikatan exercises, which it describes as a “symbiotic” activity for both American and Filipino troops.

“We are looking forward that the exercises will resume after all issues are cleared. Of course, if this pushes through, it will be beneficial to the Armed Forces of the Philippines because of the exchange of training,” AFP Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said yesterday.

Bacarro said even the American troops learn a lot from the training, especially on guerilla warfare tactics of Filipino forces.

“It is a loss on our part. And at the same time, it will be a loss on their part in terms of training and interoperability. Now, with the resumption, of course, it will benefit us again,” Bacarro said.

The Balikatan usually gathers thousands of American and Filipino troops that hold military training, exercises and humanitarian activities in selected parts of the country for a month or less./DMS