Militant Fil-Ams support 'rape' victim

MANILA, Philippines — Militant Filipino-American women threw their support Tuesday behind a 22-year-old Filipino woman who claimed she was raped by a US serviceman.

The Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (Fire) said the soldier must be held accountable for this "despicable crime."

“The exercises count up to 6,000 US troops deployed to a Philippine province, (in) Bicol, among others. They have and continue to pose a threat to the welfare of Filipino women, as exemplified with this past rape case. News of Vanessa's rape comes just weeks after the Subic Bay Rape Case of 'Nicole' was overturned in April 2009 and LCPL Daniel Smith, her convicted rapist, was set free," the group said in an article on the Catholic Bishops'Conference of the Philippines website (www.cbcpnews.com).

“Smith's release and the manipulated case of Nicole gives US military servicemen in the Philippines free reign to do whatever they want without any consequence," it added.

Fire said the Philippine government already surrendered sovereignty and justice to appease US-RP relations and unwittingly set a precedent for US troops in the Philippines.

Earlier this month, the Filipino woman surfaced and told her tale before media, but said she will not wage a legal battle because she is afraid that the government, especially the Philippine judicial system, will only rule in favor of the US military man.

“The protection of assailants like Smith, and now Jones, under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) proves that the Philippines' priority is the political relationship with the U.S. instead of their human relationship with its citizens. The VFA has kept military personnel under US jurisdiction allowing them to commit and ultimately get away with offenses towards Filipinos, a complete insult to Philippine sovereignty," the group said.

Late last week, “Vanessa" surfaced and accused a certain “John Jones," a member of the US Joint Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG), of raping her last April 18.

Fire said the VFA has historically compromised the safety, justice, and security of the Filipino people, and has wreaked havoc on the lives of Filipino women and children.

It said that on Feb. 19, Rafaela Polborido, a 16-month-old girl was killed in a province in Bicol, after government soldiers bombed her home with grenades in preparation for the Balikatan exercises. - GMANews.TV

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