Officials, rightist groups hold pro-U.S. march

Local government officials and members of right wing groups held a pro-U.S. rally yesterday to support President Gloria Arroyo's plan to allow the entry of U.S. troops in Jolo, the long-held turf of the hostage-taking Abu Sayyaf group in the south.

There were 2,000 pro-U.S. supporters who carried placards that expressed support for Arroyo and the American non-combatant soldiers who are expected to enter Jolo by the third quarter of this year.

"We are all for Balikatan," said a placard carried by one supporter, in reference to the wargames to be held by the U.S. and Philippine forces in the area. "We like development. We don't like violence," explained Kadil Estino, mayor of Panglima Estino town in Jolo.

The entry of U.S. troops in Sulu could put an end to the hostage-taking activities of the Abu Sayyaf bandits, Estino said. He added that the large number of the U.S. supporters was "a sign of the sentiments of the residents in Jolo".

Those who are planning to hold anti-U.S. rallies to stop the sending of U.S. troops in Jolo "will be misunderstood by residents here", Estino noted. "Many of us in Sulu will think the anti-U.S. protesters are the ones encouraging suicide attacks against the Americans."

Estino stated that members and leaders of militant groups who are against the U.S. presence in the south and who are planning to hold rallies are "educated people who renege on their duty to guide the ignorant".

He denied the allegations of many critics that local government leaders in the south are supporting the U.S. presence because of the promise made by the U.S. and the Philippine governments to pour more development funds into the area.

Recently, Arroyo revealed a comprehensive P5.5 billion ($103.7 million) development project in the south. A joint police and military contingent guarded the participants of the pro-U.S. rally who marched outside the provincial municipal hall.

Arroyo earlier said the American troops who will hold wargames with their Filipino counterparts in Jolo are non-combatant soldiers. They will extend intelligence support, training and a medical mission among Muslims in Jolo, she added.

However, Ignacio Bunye, presidential spokesman, said the U.S. troops, if attacked, are allowed to retaliate in self-defence.

The U.S. and the Philippine Armed Forces held wargames meant to crush the group in Basilan (another Abu Sayyaf turf), Zamboanga City (in the south), and Cebu (in central Philippines) from February to July last year, but these did not result in the arrest of top ranking Abu Sayyaf members.

The U.S. and the Philippine governments have linked the Abu Sayyaf group to the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah, the alleged South-East Asian conduit of the Al Qaida network.