US envoy washes hands of mercenaries
Says US gov’t not involved in recruitment, deployment
BY JOJO DUE - Malaya
US AMBASSADOR Kristie Kenney yesterday said she has no knowledge of the alleged recruitment by American companies of Filipinos to help fight America’s war against Iraq.
Kenney, during a visit to Angeles City, said: "US companies are active throughout the world on all sorts of things, doing businesses. But US companies are private organizations."
She said the US government is not training or recruiting Filipinos for service in Iraq.
Two American private military companies (PMCs) – Blackwater USA and Triple Canopy – have been recruiting Filipinos to serve as "security specialists" in fulfillment of their contracts with the US government.
PMC is a euphemism for a mercenary outfit.
Blackwater USA, through its local representative Romy Redelicia, has said it has sent a "few" local hires to serve as security guards in the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Blackwater denied it was deploying Filipinos to Iraq in violation of a government ban.
Triple Canopy reportedly sent 300 Filipino workers to Iraq last year. To skirt the ban, which was imposed by President Arroyo in 2004 following the kidnapping of truck driver Angelo dela Cruz, Triple Canopy reportedly made it appear they would be working in Dubai.
From Dubai the Filipinos made their way to Iraq via either Kuwait or Jordan.
Kenny said both the US and the Philippines are concerned over the global terrorist threat.
"We’re working very closely together because the Filipinos I’ve met, and that includes all of you, want to live in a peaceful country."
"One person who is not allowing your citizens to live a peaceful, productive life is one person too many," she said.
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense, said Blackwater could be violating local laws in its plan to train foreigners in a site at the Subic freeport zone.
Biazon distributed a two-page document which showed that the management of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority has recommended the approval of a lease agreement over a two-hectare facility at the freeport with Satelles Solutions Inc.
Satelles Solutions is the local company representing Greystone Ltd. based in North Carolina. In its website, Greystone said it is the international arm of Blackwater.
FOREIGN BASES
Biazon said the agreement would run against the constitutional prohibition against the entry of foreign troops and the setting up of foreign bases.
"The Greystone contract shows that we are granting the use of two buildings and 18,323 square meters of land and use of the environmentally protected jungle of Subic," Biazon told reporters.
"Since this recruitment (and training) is related to the war being waged in Iraq, is this one way of skirting the provision in the entry of foreign troops into the country?" he said.
The agreement showed that Greystone "intends to bring in a minimum of 1,000 trainees a month when fully operational."
"Who are these recruits? From what countries do they come?" Biazon asked.
He said Blackwater USA has been recruiting "mercenaries" in Chile, Columbia, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
In Guatemala, Blackwater found itself in hot water for violating that country’s firearms law.
Biazon said Blackwater could also be violating RA 5487, the law regulating private security agencies.
If Filipinos would be deployed to Iraq, Biazon said, a national policy - that is, the ban - would be violated.
"It’s in our passport. There is a stamp that says ‘Not valid for travel to Iraq,’" he said. "Is this going to be violated not individually by overseas workers but by an organization?"
"I will be happy if Filipinos are recruited, I am not against that. But what is the effect of the contract on Philippine laws? That is my concern," he said.
He said Satelles Solutions’ contract covers the lease for three years of a firing range and three buildings. It will employ 20 people.
The US firm plans to conduct training of "police and law enforcement units and persons engaged in similar activities.
Satelles Solutions agreed to pay $96,000 for the first year; $98,000 for the second year; and $100,000 for the last year.
The firm also agreed to pay a $16,000 security deposit and committed to invest $200,000.
The memorandum dated May 29, 2006 was prepared by Beatrix Angaran, chief of the SBMA Investment Processing Department, and was approved the next day by Hermenegildo J. Atienza III, senior deputy administrator for business development.
SBMA administrator Armand Arreza approved the proposal for presentation to the SBMA board.
LARGEST FACILITY
Greystone, with address at 850 Puddin Ridge Road, Moyock, NC, is said to be the "world’s largest firing range and anti-terrorist training facility."
Its clients in the US are both from the private sector and the government.
Greystone said the demand for its services has been rising remarkably since the Sept. 11, 2001 bombings.
Local incorporators of Satelles contributed P1 each while Greystone put in P10.44 million.
Aside from Redelicia, the local incorporators are Mary Grace Agoncillo, Frances Yuyucheng, Clarisse Oben-Evangelista and Ramberto Saavedra.
In its website, Greystone said it "is dedicated to providing the best physical security assets from around the world in support of freedom, peacemaking, and the maintenance of peace."
"Greystone provides experienced close protection specialists, security drivers, or a full protective detail for any threat scenario around the world," it said.
"Greystone can perform extensive security audits for governments and corporations to help identify areas of weakness in their overall security programs. These audits and risk analyses examine methods, procedures, and systems for security vulnerabilities.
"Greystone is prepared to evaluate corporate programs ranging from personnel protection to disaster and terrorist response plans. Should an area require modification, we will assist in implementing those improvements as requested by the client," it said.
In Bacolod, Speaker Jose de Venecia said it was unfair to label Filipinos hired as security guards in other countries as "mercenaries."
"Why is it that if they work in Afghanistan they are mercenaries? If they work in Los Angeles, they are not called mercenaries," he said.
"They are just trying to earn a living," he added.
NOT A CRIME
De Venecia said it is not a crime to recruit former AFP and PNP members as security guards.
He said the United Nations deploys Filipino policemen and soldiers as peacekeepers in Africa, Europe and other troubled regions.
"If we send a battalion of veterans of World War II, of the Korean war or members of AFP in great numbers, then that can be a cause for concern. But even then, they are not violating any law," De Venecia said.
De Venecia was guest at Philippine Councilor’s League-Visayas Island Congress.
De Venecia echoed the position of Sen. Richard Gordon, former SBMA chair, who said there is nothing wrong with Filipinos being recruited for work in Iraq.
"If Filipinos want to be mercenaries, it’s their right. If they want to be ‘labanderos’ in Iraq, it’s their right also," Gordon has said.
"Life is hard. That’s why many of our Filipino brothers are looking for jobs abroad no matter how dangerous it is," he added.
Gordon, nonetheless, said it is the duty of the government to warn Filipinos against going to Iraq.
"They must be warned that if they go there, they should not expect to be helped like Angelo de la Cruz," Gordon added. "You take the risk, but don’t take the country at risk with your decision."
The government imposed the ban on working in Iraq in 2004 to secure the release of Cruz.
There are an estimated 3,000 Filipinos serving in US camps in Iraq, most of whom were on-site before the ban was imposed.
They mainly serve as service personnel.
The latest recruits, however, are considered paramilitary men, which could make Filipinos direct targets of Iraqi militants opposing the US occupation.
Fears have been raised that the presence of Filipino mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan would invite terror attacks in the country.
Rep. Faysah Dumarpa (Lakas, Lanao del Sur) earlier said the deployment of Filipino mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan could generate ill will in the Islamic world, imperiling the country’s bid to secure observer status in the Organization of Islamic Conference.
Dumarpa, vice chair of the House committee on Muslim affairs, said the failure of the Arroyo administration to stop the illegal recruitment of Filipinos for service in war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan "can be misconstrued as an acquiescence to the Bush government’s war policy and may seriously hurt the country’s observer status application in the OIC."
"The Arroyo administration must arrest those who have been making a mockery of the government’s ban against the deployment of workers or soldiers in these troubled Islamic countries," she said. - With JP Lopez and Gilbert Bayoran
BY JOJO DUE - Malaya
US AMBASSADOR Kristie Kenney yesterday said she has no knowledge of the alleged recruitment by American companies of Filipinos to help fight America’s war against Iraq.
Kenney, during a visit to Angeles City, said: "US companies are active throughout the world on all sorts of things, doing businesses. But US companies are private organizations."
She said the US government is not training or recruiting Filipinos for service in Iraq.
Two American private military companies (PMCs) – Blackwater USA and Triple Canopy – have been recruiting Filipinos to serve as "security specialists" in fulfillment of their contracts with the US government.
PMC is a euphemism for a mercenary outfit.
Blackwater USA, through its local representative Romy Redelicia, has said it has sent a "few" local hires to serve as security guards in the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Blackwater denied it was deploying Filipinos to Iraq in violation of a government ban.
Triple Canopy reportedly sent 300 Filipino workers to Iraq last year. To skirt the ban, which was imposed by President Arroyo in 2004 following the kidnapping of truck driver Angelo dela Cruz, Triple Canopy reportedly made it appear they would be working in Dubai.
From Dubai the Filipinos made their way to Iraq via either Kuwait or Jordan.
Kenny said both the US and the Philippines are concerned over the global terrorist threat.
"We’re working very closely together because the Filipinos I’ve met, and that includes all of you, want to live in a peaceful country."
"One person who is not allowing your citizens to live a peaceful, productive life is one person too many," she said.
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense, said Blackwater could be violating local laws in its plan to train foreigners in a site at the Subic freeport zone.
Biazon distributed a two-page document which showed that the management of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority has recommended the approval of a lease agreement over a two-hectare facility at the freeport with Satelles Solutions Inc.
Satelles Solutions is the local company representing Greystone Ltd. based in North Carolina. In its website, Greystone said it is the international arm of Blackwater.
FOREIGN BASES
Biazon said the agreement would run against the constitutional prohibition against the entry of foreign troops and the setting up of foreign bases.
"The Greystone contract shows that we are granting the use of two buildings and 18,323 square meters of land and use of the environmentally protected jungle of Subic," Biazon told reporters.
"Since this recruitment (and training) is related to the war being waged in Iraq, is this one way of skirting the provision in the entry of foreign troops into the country?" he said.
The agreement showed that Greystone "intends to bring in a minimum of 1,000 trainees a month when fully operational."
"Who are these recruits? From what countries do they come?" Biazon asked.
He said Blackwater USA has been recruiting "mercenaries" in Chile, Columbia, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
In Guatemala, Blackwater found itself in hot water for violating that country’s firearms law.
Biazon said Blackwater could also be violating RA 5487, the law regulating private security agencies.
If Filipinos would be deployed to Iraq, Biazon said, a national policy - that is, the ban - would be violated.
"It’s in our passport. There is a stamp that says ‘Not valid for travel to Iraq,’" he said. "Is this going to be violated not individually by overseas workers but by an organization?"
"I will be happy if Filipinos are recruited, I am not against that. But what is the effect of the contract on Philippine laws? That is my concern," he said.
He said Satelles Solutions’ contract covers the lease for three years of a firing range and three buildings. It will employ 20 people.
The US firm plans to conduct training of "police and law enforcement units and persons engaged in similar activities.
Satelles Solutions agreed to pay $96,000 for the first year; $98,000 for the second year; and $100,000 for the last year.
The firm also agreed to pay a $16,000 security deposit and committed to invest $200,000.
The memorandum dated May 29, 2006 was prepared by Beatrix Angaran, chief of the SBMA Investment Processing Department, and was approved the next day by Hermenegildo J. Atienza III, senior deputy administrator for business development.
SBMA administrator Armand Arreza approved the proposal for presentation to the SBMA board.
LARGEST FACILITY
Greystone, with address at 850 Puddin Ridge Road, Moyock, NC, is said to be the "world’s largest firing range and anti-terrorist training facility."
Its clients in the US are both from the private sector and the government.
Greystone said the demand for its services has been rising remarkably since the Sept. 11, 2001 bombings.
Local incorporators of Satelles contributed P1 each while Greystone put in P10.44 million.
Aside from Redelicia, the local incorporators are Mary Grace Agoncillo, Frances Yuyucheng, Clarisse Oben-Evangelista and Ramberto Saavedra.
In its website, Greystone said it "is dedicated to providing the best physical security assets from around the world in support of freedom, peacemaking, and the maintenance of peace."
"Greystone provides experienced close protection specialists, security drivers, or a full protective detail for any threat scenario around the world," it said.
"Greystone can perform extensive security audits for governments and corporations to help identify areas of weakness in their overall security programs. These audits and risk analyses examine methods, procedures, and systems for security vulnerabilities.
"Greystone is prepared to evaluate corporate programs ranging from personnel protection to disaster and terrorist response plans. Should an area require modification, we will assist in implementing those improvements as requested by the client," it said.
In Bacolod, Speaker Jose de Venecia said it was unfair to label Filipinos hired as security guards in other countries as "mercenaries."
"Why is it that if they work in Afghanistan they are mercenaries? If they work in Los Angeles, they are not called mercenaries," he said.
"They are just trying to earn a living," he added.
NOT A CRIME
De Venecia said it is not a crime to recruit former AFP and PNP members as security guards.
He said the United Nations deploys Filipino policemen and soldiers as peacekeepers in Africa, Europe and other troubled regions.
"If we send a battalion of veterans of World War II, of the Korean war or members of AFP in great numbers, then that can be a cause for concern. But even then, they are not violating any law," De Venecia said.
De Venecia was guest at Philippine Councilor’s League-Visayas Island Congress.
De Venecia echoed the position of Sen. Richard Gordon, former SBMA chair, who said there is nothing wrong with Filipinos being recruited for work in Iraq.
"If Filipinos want to be mercenaries, it’s their right. If they want to be ‘labanderos’ in Iraq, it’s their right also," Gordon has said.
"Life is hard. That’s why many of our Filipino brothers are looking for jobs abroad no matter how dangerous it is," he added.
Gordon, nonetheless, said it is the duty of the government to warn Filipinos against going to Iraq.
"They must be warned that if they go there, they should not expect to be helped like Angelo de la Cruz," Gordon added. "You take the risk, but don’t take the country at risk with your decision."
The government imposed the ban on working in Iraq in 2004 to secure the release of Cruz.
There are an estimated 3,000 Filipinos serving in US camps in Iraq, most of whom were on-site before the ban was imposed.
They mainly serve as service personnel.
The latest recruits, however, are considered paramilitary men, which could make Filipinos direct targets of Iraqi militants opposing the US occupation.
Fears have been raised that the presence of Filipino mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan would invite terror attacks in the country.
Rep. Faysah Dumarpa (Lakas, Lanao del Sur) earlier said the deployment of Filipino mercenaries in Iraq and Afghanistan could generate ill will in the Islamic world, imperiling the country’s bid to secure observer status in the Organization of Islamic Conference.
Dumarpa, vice chair of the House committee on Muslim affairs, said the failure of the Arroyo administration to stop the illegal recruitment of Filipinos for service in war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan "can be misconstrued as an acquiescence to the Bush government’s war policy and may seriously hurt the country’s observer status application in the OIC."
"The Arroyo administration must arrest those who have been making a mockery of the government’s ban against the deployment of workers or soldiers in these troubled Islamic countries," she said. - With JP Lopez and Gilbert Bayoran
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
10:12 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home