Lawmaker calls for probe into US aid to fight rebels
Ilagan wants to know the role of American forces in southern Philippines
Manila: A lawmaker called for an investigation into the assistance given by the United States to Manila to fight rebels in the southern Philippines, a local newspaper said.
Filipino soldiers have been using US spy planes, Predator drones and unmanned aerial vehicles in a war against the rebels in southern Philippines, Congresswoman Luz Ilagan of Gabriela, a leftist, at the House of Representatives told the Inquirer.
An unmanned US drone took part in the air strike that killed 15 suspected terrorists including a leader of the Abu Sayyaf group, and four foreign members of the Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian conduit of the Al Qaida terror network last week, said Ilagan. "If these reports are true, then US troops are participating in and conducting operations beyond what is allowed in the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and directly transgress our sovereignty," said Ilagan, adding that she is filing a resolution to start investigation on US presence in the south.
Leftist groups have called for abrogation of the VFA agreement signed by the Philippine and US in the 90s, and ratified by the Senate in 1998.
Guidelines
The VFA has served as a guidelines for the holding of large scale war exercises by the US and Philippine Armed Forces.
The Philippines government has approved the extension of intelligence assistance by the US government to the Philippines government's soldiers who are tracking down members of the Abu Sayyaf group.
