US troops resume humanitarian efforts in Mindanao
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/11/2008 11:30 AM
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The US military on Friday resumed its humanitarian activities in conflict areas in Mindanao after being cleared on allegations of maintaining “secret bases” in the south.
The US forces aided the Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) 7 in a three-day medical mission in Mohammad Ajul town in Basilan province.
Col. Leonard Vincent Teodoro, MBLT 7 commander, said the US troopers provided free medicine and dental services. Young males were also circumcised and other residents had their cysts removed free of charge.
Teodoro said the US troops had very little freedom of movement in the municipality as they were always accompanied by Filipino soldiers. He added that there is no truth to allegations that US troops join Filipino soldiers in combat operations.
Teodoro said civic military activities will win over the sympathy of the Mindanao residents, which may prompt them to join the battle against terrorism and insurgency.
The Congressional oversight joint committee on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) had found no evidence to support allegations that the US is maintaining secret military facilities in Mindanao.
"We found out that the allegations hurled against the American troops in Mindanao are baseless and unsubstantiated," Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, co-chairman of joint Legislative Oversight on the Visiting Forces Agreement (LOVFA) said.
Biazon made the statement after finishing ocular inspections of military facilities around Mindanao. The senator was accompanied by LOVFA co-chairman Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco and other members of the House of Representatives.
"They cannot prove their allegations... We did not find a US military base," Biazon said, referring to the Citizens Peace Watch, which recently released a fact-finding mission result that claims the US military is maintaining a base in Mindanao.
A fact-finding team of the Citizens Peace Watch recently claimed discovering secret bases of the US military in the south. It also said that American soldiers are directly involved in combat operations against insurgents and terrorist groups.
The group said that the US humanitarian missions in Mindanao are "mere cover for military operations that do not benefit the local population." --With reports from RJ Rosalado and Queenie Casimiro, ABS-CBN Zamboanga
