US Soldier Shoots Moro Civilian in Clear Violation of Balikatan Terms of Reference
By the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan

“ANOTHER CASE of having been mistaken for a wild boar?”

This was what Renato M. Reyes Jr., Bayan Spokesperson said in reaction to the report that a Moro civilian was shot in his own home in Lantawan, Basilan midnight of July 25.

According to Jurida Isnijal, wife of the victim Buyong Buyong Isnijal, an American soldier and 2 Filipino troops, barged into their house and aimed a rifle at her husband while accusing him of possessing a Garand rifle they allegedly found some 300 meters away from their residence.

Buyong Buyong, while denying the allegation, was shot at the left leg. As the rest of the victim’s family watched in horror. the troops began carrying Buyong Buyong out of the house and said they would take him to the hospital. Jurida was reportedly held back from following them and was instructed by the suspects to come see her husband in the morning.

The following day, Jurida was told her husband had been transferred to the South-Com barracks. Jurida claimed she had not seen her husband since.

Clear violations of the Terms of Reference
“We have always warned the public of incidents such as this: that the US troops have a long list of human rights violations since the military bases were in the Philippines, and despite their endless assurance of our safety while they are around, we are now reminded of how ‘friendly’ they can be”, Reyes said.

According to Reyes, the American soldier violated at least two provisions in the Balikatan Terms of Reference; one provision which prohibits US forces from joining actual combat operations and another provision which allows US troops to fire their weapons only in self-defense. “The Isnijal family did not present any clear and present danger to the American and Filipino troops. There was no reason to fire upon unarmed civilians,” Reyes said.

“We are worried that the Philippine government will not seek justice for this grave humans rights abuse. Under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the Philippine government will most likely surrender its criminal jurisdiction over the case. Such is the one-sidedness of the agreements we have entered with the US,” Reyes lamented.

Question to policy makers
“With “Amboy” Blas Ople at the helm of the Department of Foreign Affairs, expect our policy-makers to again side-step the issue,” Reyes warned. “Despite what has happened, the Arroyo administration is hell-bent on approving the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement which will ensure prolonged US military presence in the country. This will pave the way for more incidents like this to happen,” he added.

Bayan is readying protest actions on the arrival of US Secretary of State Collin Powell. The shooting incident involving an American solidier will be one of the issues raised in the week-long protest activities leading up to Powell’s visit on August 2-3.

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