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We are pleased to forward two statements from two sister women's
organizations. Three of the four US marines under trial for the
rape of a 22-year-old Filipina were acquitted; one was adjudged
guilty and sentenced to 40 years in prison. <br>
-------------<br>
<br>
4 December 2006<br><br>
Reference: EMMI DE JESUS,<br>
GABRIELA Secretary General 09173221203, 3712302<br><br>
On the conviction of Smith, acquittal of 3 other US Marines<br>
JUSTICE FOR NICOLE REQUIRES ABROGATION OF VFA <br><br>
“Though we welcome the guilty verdict against Lance Corporal Daniel<br>
Smith, the exoneration of Lance Corporals Keith Silkwood and Dominic<br>
Duplantis and Staff Sergeant Chad Carpenter more than offsets such a<br>
verdict. And it would not surprise us if Smith got a light sentence,
a<br>
suspended sentence or a presidential pardon or is smuggled out of
the<br>
Philippines back to the U.S. Justice for Filipinos cannot be<br>
obtained from the US-puppet Arroyo administration. We, the people,
should<br>
ensure that crimes committed by US and foreign troops in the
archipelago<br>
are rendered commensurate justice.” <br><br>
This was the firm statement of the militant women’s group GABRIELA
given<br>
through its secretary-general, Emmi de Jesus, in reaction to the<br>
conviction of Smith in the Subic rape case.<br><br>
“True justice for Nicole can only be achieved with the abrogation of
the<br>
US-RP Visiting Forces Agreement. Justice cannot be complete if the
threat<br>
against Filipino women and children represented by the VFA and US<br>
military intervention is not removed.”<br><br>
Appalled, GABRIELA slammed Malacanang’s utter disregard of the
massive<br>
calls for the abrogation of the VFA despite its being proven as a
very<br>
lopsided agreement. “The Arroyo government turned a deaf ear to
people’s<br>
call for the abrogation of the VFA, which was proven to be detrimental
to<br>
Nicole’s case, as it ignored the demand for a halt to foreign
military<br>
exercises, which gives opportunity to US soldiers to abuse and
violate<br>
the rights of Filipino women and children. Mrs. Arroyo did not mind
the<br>
fact that VFA is clearly the reason why Nicole’s struggle for justice
was<br>
made more difficult.”<br><br>
“Without the abrogation of the VFA, the public will see not only the<br>
Arroyo government’s incapacity and inability to defend its women but
also<br>
its subservience to the imperialist US. Its lack of interest and
inaction<br>
will only further prove that Filipino victims of violence could
expect<br>
nothing from the Arroyo administration, especially if the crimes
were<br>
perpetrated by American soldiers.”<br><br>
“Adding insult to injury, US troops continue to arrive in increasing<br>
numbers to intensify US military intervention in the archipelago, as
if<br>
there had been no Subic rape case or any crime against the Filipino<br>
people. With VFA and US troops around, Nicole will not be their last<br>
victim. VFA would only bring never-ending violence to the Filipino<br>
people, particularly women and children. The Filipino women and
people<br>
will not rest until the VFA is abrogated and the Macapagal-Arroyo<br>
government ousted.”<br><br>
GABRIELA also commended Nicole for standing up for her rights and<br>
demanding justice. “We hope that the people of Zamboanga, from where<br>
Nicole comes and where US troops are often based, will see through
the<br>
pathetic allegations of economic gains from the presence of foreign<br>
troops. We hope that they will see the crimes, indignity,
slavery<br>
and abominations such presence brings.” ###<br>
<br>
<br>
December 3, 2006<br><br>
For Reference: DR. ANNALISA ENRILE, GABNet National Chair<br>
619.316.0920<br><br>
PHILIPPINE-US Women's Group, GABRIELA Network Demands Philippines
Assert Jurisdiction- Put US Marine Smith in Philippine Jail<br><br>
At 9 pm this evening (already December 4, 1pm in the Philippines),
GABRIELA Network (GABNet) stood vigil waiting for the verdict of
the Nicole Subic Bay Rape case. Lance Corporal Daniel Smith,
one of the four US Marines accused of the rape of Nicole, was found
guilty by the Makati Regional Trial Court. Lance
Corporal Smith’s three co-defendants were acquitted. For Lance
Corporal Smith who was found guilty, women’s groups led by GABRIELA
Philippines and the GABRIELA Women’s Party call for the Philippine
government to now exercise their sovereignty and take Lance Corporal
Smith into custody to serve his time in a Philippine jail.
<br><br>
“We are not happy with the full verdict,” Lalee Vicedo, GABNet
Campaigns Director said, “We fully believe that the four acted
together and so no one should have been acquitted of their actions, but
given the verdict, the guilty should be treated as
such.” GABNet will continue to call for the remanding of
Lance Corporal Smith into Philippine custody as well as an overall
call to junk the Visiting Forces Agreement. <br>
<b>This case is a landmark as it is the first time an American soldier
has been found guilty of a crime since the US bases were shut down in
1992.</b> <br>
<b>As with the fight for the removal of the US bases from the Philippines
more than a decade ago, Philippine women were instrumental in demanding
justice for Nicole.</b> It was the women’s militant stance, their
unwillingness to let Nicole continue to suffer from blatant victim
blaming, and their commitment that has been able to expose US Military’s
exploitation and oppression of the Filipino people. This has
occurred on a global level with vigils being held all over the world in
Canada, Europe, and the United States. Last week, GABNet held vigil
right at the gates of US Marine bases in San Diego, California.
This was held amongst catcalls and insults hurled by US soldiers,
indicative of the US’s view of the Philippines. <br><br>
From the beginning of the case, the US government has shown
absolute contempt of the criminal justice system of the Philippines, not
even bothering to go through the motions of as the accused rapists were
never put under the custody of Philippine authorities. In fact, the
Philippine government under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has colluded
with the United States by complying with the unfair provisions of
the Visiting Forces Agreement such as having the judicial
proceedings completed within a one year period and the custody of
the four accused US Marines being under the supervision of US
rather than Philippine authorities. Now that a verdict has
been handed down and Lance Corporal Smith judged guilty, he should
be treated as any other criminal and serve his time in a Philippine
prison. <br>
<b> “This is not just a case about one woman,” GABNet Chair
Annalisa Enrile states, “This case is about the Visiting Forces
Agreement and how it has reintroduced the US Military back to Philippine
soil and all the issues that go along with that such as rampant
violence against women. The judge in this case has ordered
that Smith be handed over to a Philippine jail, but we’ll see. The
Arroyo government has gone out of its way to remain a puppet of the
United States than she has done in upholding the rights and dignity of
the Filipino people, especially the women.” <br><br>
</b>Now that the decision of custody is in the hands of the Arroyo
government, we urge the Arroyo government to take a stand for
Nicole by taking her rapist into custody for life in a Philippine
jail. The United States should not be allowed to invoke the
VFA to provide further reasons to keep Corporal Smith out of
Philippine custody. GABNet urges all women’s groups, all
people’s organizations, and freedom loving people to stand with us
to demand real justice for Nicole and real sovereignty for the
Filipino people. <br>
<br>
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<br><br>
<br>
</font><font size=3 color="#C00000"><b>Women's Anti-Imperialist League
(WAIL)</b> <br>
</font><font size=3>Member, International League of Peoples Struggles
<br>
wailcentral@yahoo.com <br>
<i>The road to women's liberation lies through the terrain of the
anti-imperialist struggle</i>. -- WISAP2004<br>
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