RP HAS AUTHORITY TO DETAIN SMITH AFTER
CONVICTION UNDER VFA -- PIMENTEL

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said the Philippine government should assert its authority, to detain US Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Smith after he was convicted for raping a Filipina, known as Nicole.

He said the American government should recognize this authority of the Philippine government based on its interpretation of the Visiting Forces Agreement of 1999, otherwise RP-US diplomatic ties are in danger of being ruptured.

My understanding of the law is that our country would have custody of the convict. It is best for Philippine-US relations that US authorities respect that interpretation of the Visiting Forces Agreement and other protocols that may be applicable to the situation, Pimentel said.

It would be a terrible message to our people if the US should choose to ride roughshod over the matter that is of supreme importance to the sensitivity of our people.

Pimentel added: The reason is that we know that other countries like Japan with which the US also has a status of forces agreement do not allow any other interpretation than that it is the country where the US forces are stationed that has jurisdiction over erring US troops.