Iniquitous agreements, rape of Filipina by US soldiers condemned - NDF

13 November 2005

"Had the Arroyo regime not allowed the free access of US troops into the country through iniquitous agreements, the 22-year-old Filipina would not fall as a rape victim by the abusive foreign troops," Rubi del Mundo, spokesperson of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines Southern Mindanao, said today.

The NDFP condemns, in the strongest possible term, the gang rape of the said Filipina by six US Marines on November 1 at the Subic Bay Freeport.

"The Visiting Forces Agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty must be abrogated. Otherwise, the US government will continue to violate the Filipino people�s basic rights on our very own soil," Del Mundo said.

The regional spokesperson added that US soldiers have been committing various crimes against Filipinos, which until now remain unsolved. "Both the US government and its puppet, Mrs. Arroyo, did not lift a finger on these cases," del Mundo pointed out.

Del Mundo recalled that the US soldiers who conducted war exercises with Filipino troops in North Cotabato last year had also committed grave violations against local residents, including the use of the University of Southeastern Mindanao campus as a temporary detachment, putting students and university staff in danger. Also, the sudden arrival of about a dozen US forces on board two helicopters and Army truck in Manarapan, Carmen, North Cotabato, not only aggravated the heart ailment of 53-year old Saldia Abu Calderon but led to her death due to extreme fear of possible conflict.

"The rape case against the young Filipina must be given importance by the Arroyo government as this is not just a case against the victim�s basic right, it is also a case of gross violation against the Filipinos� right to national sovereignty," Del Mundo stressed.

The accused US Marines must be under the custody of the Philippines until the case is solved. "Any attempt of the US government to defend the perpetrators, or allow them escape and deny justice to the Filipina victim, must be stopped," Del Mundo said.

NDF urged the Filipino people to join the quest for justice for the victim and, more importantly, to continue their resistance against the intervention of US imperialism and the puppetry of the Arroyo regime.

(Sgd) RUBI DEL MUNDO
Spokesperson
National Democratic Front of the Philippines � Southern Mindanao