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Home/ stevenwarran's Library/ Notes/ January 24, 2002, Phil. Star, GMA Wants "Strict Procedures" for U.S. Soldiers' Social Activities, R & R., by Marichu Villanueva,

January 24, 2002, Phil. Star, GMA Wants "Strict Procedures" for U.S. Soldiers' Social Activities, R & R., by Marichu Villanueva,

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January 24, 2002, Phil. Star, GMA Wants "Strict Procedures" for U.S. Soldiers' Social Activities, R & R., by Marichu Villanueva,

Malacanang, Jan. 24, 2002 (STAR) -Here come the GI Joes. Are happy days ahead again for girlie bars and honky tonks engaged in prostitution?

Not if President Arroyo will have her way. She wants to curtail the social activities of the American troopers arriving in Basilan, Zamboanga City and Mactan, Cebu for the Balikatan 02-01, and impose "strict procedures" for their R&R (rest and recreation) so they do not engage the services of prostitutes.

"The President has emphasized she does not want this presence of US troops to start any prostitution activities," said Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao.

About 600 American troops over the next six months are to take part in joint military exercises in the southern Philippines to train Filipino soldiers in combating the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas who are believed to be linked to the al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden.

The presence of thousands of American troops attached to two US bases in the country for nearly a century until their 1992 closure is believed to have helped fuel prostitution.

Concerned about the possible rise of prostitution with this new presence of American soldiers, the President, at a meeting of the National Security Council yesterday at Malacañang, instructed Armed Forces chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva and his US counterpart, Commander-in-chief of the Pacific (CINPAC) Adm. Dennis Blair, to work out guidelines for their respective troopers participating in the Balikatan in Western Mindanao.

"She was very clear on it, "Tiglao said. "And she emphasized that this should be the concern of the AFP and the American personnel."

One proposal, Tiglao disclosed, would have the US troops "(going) out from their barracks in groups, like a guided tour, and not on a single basis."

And the R&R destinations will likely be the various tourist spots in Cebu. This should make the American troopers a ready market for the administration’s wholesome "economic holiday" tour packages.

Tiglao said it will be up to Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Teodosio and his US counterpart in the Balikatan, Air Force Brig. Gen. Donald Wuster, to enforce the restrictions.

The restrictions, he added, will help minimize brawls and other unruly incidents involving American soldiers in the girlie joints and other violations of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which govern the conduct of the soldiers

At the NSC meeting, Tiglao said Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes informed the body that the number of US military trainors and personnel will vary during the six-month period of the Balikatan and is expected to peak at 660 or so during the actual training period.

Under the deployment plans, there will be 160 American soldiers in Basilan; 110 at the Southcom headquarters and another 140 in Army Camp Enrile in Malagutay, both located in Zamboanga City; and 250 in Mactan, Cebu, for the support and maintenance of the three C-130 American planes and helicopters and to train Filipino troopers in the maintenance of these military equipment.

Tiglao clarified that the actual training period will take about four months starting around first week of February.

He explained that the arrival of the first 25 American trainors in Zamboanga City, Basilan and Mactan was for the first phase of observation period when the curriculum of the anti-terrorism training would be crafted.

The last phase, he said, is one month of debriefing, or the stage when the US trainors check the success of their training program and "slowly redeploy their personnel" elsewhere. — Marichu Villanueva

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