Pentagon shields Marines in rape case

The reported gang rape of a 22-year-old Filipina woman by six U.S. Marines in a van has sparked a series of protests throughout the Philippines and other Asian nations. The people are demanding that the Marines, who have been in the custody of the U.S. Embassy, be turned over for trial by a Philippine court.

Under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) signed by the government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the U.S. has custody of its military personnel who have committed criminal offenses on foreign soil.

Bernadette Ellorin, a leader in the Bayan movement in the U.S., says that “since the VFA was signed, no U.S. military person has been detained or prosecuted under Philippine law. Can you imagine a Filipino living in the U.S. and accused of rape not being detained and incarcerated immediately after being charged?”

Progressive Filipinos see the VFA as another proof of U.S. domination of their country. Ellorin added, “Our people are fighting for sovereignty and control of our country and demand that the U.S. military be expelled.”

The Filipino people have been occupied by the U.S. military on and off for over a century. The two main U.S. bases have been Clark Air Force Base and Subic Bay Naval Station. The alleged rapes took place at Subic.

After huge demonstrations that brought down the government of Corazon Aquino in 1991, the U.S. military was forced out and a new constitution approved that banned foreign troops.

But after the 9/11 attacks in the U.S., the Bush administration drew up a new agreement with the Arroyo government for joint U.S.-Philippine military exercises as part of the “war on terror.” About 2,500 U.S. troops participated in exercises in 2002 and have never left.

In August 2005, several thousand more U.S. troops participated in a military operation with Filipino troops against the revolutionary people’s movement in the southern Philippines.

The Filipina women’s group Gabriela International is supporting a resolution introduced by Rep. Lisa Maza calling for the suspension of the joint military exercises until the case is resolved. This rape case was a major issue at a Gabriela International Assembly in Los Angeles in early November. It was followed by a series of demonstrations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and New York.

Several years ago the media exposed cases of rape, sexual assault and harassment of women in the military in the U.S. Those who had the courage to speak up and pursue their cases were harassed, humiliated and punished and often forced out of the service. Why would we expect the U.S. military to act differently in a foreign country?

An International Solidarity Mission visited the Philippines in August and helped expose the repressive measures of the Arroyo government. Since then, nearly two dozen more people have been assassinated. The Bayan movement and other organizations have been leading demonstrations of progressive organizations, peasants and workers in the Philippines in the struggle for liberation from U.S. imperialism and to oust the Arroyo government.