DEPUTY presidential spokesman Anthony Golez
on Monday said it is premature to call for the cancellation of
the joint Philippines-United States Balikatan exercises
following suspicions that American soldiers may have been
involved in the Feb. 4 assault against Abu Sayyaf bandits in
Ipil in Maimbung, Sulu that resulted in the death of four
terrorists, two soldiers and eight civilians.
Golez advised everyone to give the Defense
department a chance to complete its investigation on the
incident instead.
"At present the incident is under
investigation as ordered by the Secretary of National Defense to
make sure that same incident will not happen again and those
involved with the heinous crimes be brought to justice," he
said.
Golez said that while they acknowledge their
concerns and respect the call of some militant groups, "we
encourage them to wait for the results of the official
investigation before making conclusions."
The Armed Forces clarified that the 50
soldiers earlier reported to have been "suspended" for
involvement in the Maimbung operation planned and executed by
the counter-terrorist Light Reaction Company and the Navy’s
Special Operations Group were merely prevented from taking part
in future operations pending an investigation.
It was Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
who was quoted over the weekend about the suspension of the
soldiers involved.
AFP public information office chief Lt. Col.
Bartolome Bacarro said the memorandum sent by Teodoro to the
military did not mention the word suspension. "His instruction
was to restrain these soldiers from participating in other
operations so that if there will be investigations, they will be
readily available," Bacarro said.
He said the military ordered lower unit
commanders to enforce Teodoro’s order. "The disposition of these
people (soldiers) is now in the hands of the different
operational commanders but definitely it is in the context of
them being restrained from conducting combat operations, from
involving themselves in combat operations. We don’t use the word
suspend in the military. They are not relieved (of their
assignments)," said Bacarro.
The probe also intends to establish if US
soldiers were involved in the ground operations following
reports they were present when the assault was launched. The AFP
had already denied the US soldiers’ participation but Makati
mayor and United Opposition president Jejomar Binay said he
supports a separate investigation by the Commission on Human
Rights to determine those who took part in the assault and those
responsible for reported abuses during the clash and for the
killing of civilians.
Reports said some US soldiers were on a Navy
boat when the assault began that supposedly included the
shooting of civilians, torching of houses, and rounding up of
other residents.
At least two children, aged four and nine,
were killed in the incident.
Golez said the joint military exercises had
been conducted for a time now and it would not do to make rash
decisions. "Pinapahalagahan natin ang relasyon natin sa US.
Matagal na itong balikatan exercises kaya hindi tayo dapat
magpadalus-dalos," he said.
Bacarro said the inspector general of the
military’s Western Mindanao Command – Col. Fred Llosa – is
leading the investigation against the soldiers.
Binay expressed his support for CHR Western Mindanao director
Jose Manuel Mamauag who has also ordered an initial
investigation on the massacre. He also called for a review of
the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which bars US soldiers from
taking part in actual combat in Philippine soil. "It is not the
first time US troops have been seen during military operations
in Sulu. Now, a witness says she saw four US soldiers during the
operation in Maimbung. We need to pay attention and review the
VFA to clarify the extent of participation of foreign troops,"
he said. – Jocelyn Montemayor and Victor Reyes
