SENATE MUST REVIEW US MILITARY PRESENCE IN RP - LOREN

The Senate must review the presence of American troops in the Philippines in the light of the Pentagon's admission that they are involved in the "counterterrorism" efforts of the Philippine government.

Loren said that "under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the US forces are in the Philippines only to provide training, technical assistance and financial support to the military, but not to actually engage in military operations in the country."

However, Loren observed, "US press reports quoting US military and defense officials tend to show that these American 'elite forces' in the Philippines have actually been engaged in operations against the terrorist group, the Abu-Sayaff.

"Considering that the Abu Sayaff sometimes gets tactical support from the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has not been branded as a terrorist organization by the United Nations and the US, the US can also be said to be involved, even indirectly, in our purely internal conflict with the MILF.

"This could lend credence to what some are saying that this is an interference in the internal affairs of our country, which is repugnant to our sovereignty. It could also complicate our efforts to negotiate a peace settlement with the MILF, considering that our problem with the MILF concerns a civil conflict among brothers."

Loren said that "the Senate, which is tasked by the Constitution to ratify treaties, has the responsibility of determining whether the VFA, under present circumstances, is in the genuine interest of the Filipino people, or whether it may constitute a roadblock to the solution of internal problems that can better accomplished solely by the Filipino people without outside interference."