MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 6, 2012) – Filipino law maker Luz Ilagan on Monday called for a probe into what she dubbed as the extensive and intensive intrusion of the US military in AFP operations.
AFP refers to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The solon she will be filing a resolution within the week as she expressed her concern following various reports on the use of US spy planes, predator drones and unmanned aerial vehicles in recent military operations in the Philippines.
“If these reports are true, then US troops are participating in and conducting operations beyond what is allowed in the Visiting Forces Agreement and directly transgress our sovereignty. More importantly, their participation in these operations is a potential magnet for the Philippines’ participation in a brewing US-instigated regional conflict,” Ilagan said in a statement.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines recently reported successful airstrikes in the southern province of Sulu which led to the deaths of three suspected leaders of the Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf terror network. She said regional publication, the Mindanao Examiner, reported the airstrike to have been “US-led” and that an unmanned US drone helped track down the targets.
A Wall Street Journal reports US defense plans to increase its fleet of armed unmanned aircraft by 30% in the coming years. This report coincides with talks between the Aquino and Obama governments allowing increased US military presence in the Philippines.
“The presence of US troops and their direct combat participation has long been reported in Mindanao and has resulted in gross violations. These include the massacre in Ipil, Maimbung, Sulu which resulted to the death of eight civilians and the shooting of Buyong-buyong Isnijal in 2002. We reiterate our call for the immediate abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement and an end to US military intervention.”
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