Malacañang's pronouncement shows its subservience
to foreign interests - Loren

No self-respecting nation would allow foreign soldiers to thumb their nose on it like what the American soldiers are doing in the Philippines.

Senator Loren Legarda raised this point yesterday, as she expressed dismay over the government's pronouncement that there was nothing wrong with the Americans firing their guns allegedly in self defense following an explosion in the Jolo pier in Sulu last Monday.

"Past and recent events show that the Visiting Forces Agreement is clearly one-sided," noted Loren, one of the only five senators who voted against the treaty when it was presented to the Senate for ratification in 1998.

The recent event which involved American soldiers firing their guns in the Jolo pier is something no self-respecting sovereign nation would allow, and the Philippines should not be an exception, said Loren.

"Whether they (American soldiers) were acting in self-defense or not does not matter. In the first place, why should they be there patrolling the area when it's not included in the VFA?" asked Loren.

By saying the shooting by American troops was lawful, Loren said it showed the subservience of the Arroyo administration to foreign interests.

"That incident also showed anew the lopsidedness of the VFA in favor of the United States," said Loren, stressing that that was the primary reason why she voted against the VFA.

"By conducting armed patrols, the Americans are violating the VFA provisions," she said. She said their only role under the VFA was to train Filipino soldiers."

Loren said the continuing presence of US soldiers are adding to the peace and order problem in Mindanao as they serve as magnet for attacks.

Not long ago, an American soldier named Lance Corporal Smith, who was accused of raping a Filipina girl and was found guilty by a Makati court, created a big stir when he was detained at the American Embassy and not in a Philippine jail.

The controversy raged until an alleged amicable settlement was reached allowing the convicted American soldier to go home unnoticed.