National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada
Statement

Justice for ‘Nicole’ and all victims of rape! Justice for the Filipino Nation!

November 27, 2006

A week from today, the verdict is expected to be handed down in the case of “Nicole”, a 24-year old Filipino woman who has been fighting a historic rape case against four US Marines. On this day, in major cities across Canada, the National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC) and our allies have gathered to stand in solidarity with Nicole and all victims of rape and violence. We are also rallying to condemn violence against women and the continuing US military presence in the Philippines. We are here to demand the right of all women to safety and justice, and to call for the national sovereignty of all countries under US domination.

Nicole was gang raped by six U.S. Marines in Olongapo City, the site of the former Subic US Naval Base, in November 2005.  According to testimony in the trial, Nicole was likely drugged, raped in a cruising van with cheering and loud music blasting and then dumped naked on the road.  Of the six soldiers involved in the rape, only four soldiers stand accused: Lance Corporals Daniel Smith, Dominic Duplantis, Keith Silkwood, and Staff Sargeant Chad Carpentier. All six U.S. Marines were in the country as part of ongoing joint U.S.-Philippine military exercises.

Nicole’s experience is a concrete example of the courage and determination that women victims of violence must wage to obtain justice. The year-long legal battle has been plagued by endless barriers to justice, from the social stigma that faces all rape victims to an inept publicly-appointed prosecution team.Throughout the whole ordeal for Nicole and her family, have received no support from the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and have had to rely on the support of progressive women’s organizations such as GABRIELA and other supporters.

Throughout Nicole’s fight for justice, the Arroyo administration actively engaged in an attempt to force Nicole to give up her pursuit of justice. She was officially maligned by the Department of Justice, who publicly stated that Nicole had “imagined” the rape, and by her own public prosecutors, who pressured her to settle instead of working to bring the rapists to justice.

Arroyo’s claim that Nicole’s case is an “isolated” incident masks her failure to protect Filipino women and national sovereignty from US domination. We are gathered today in front of the US Consulate because at the very heart of Nicole’s case lies the fact that women are not safe anywhere that the US military is free to roam at will and where local governments cannot exercise national sovereignty. Arroyo has ignored massive calls for the dismantling of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and a halt to foreign military exercises, which gave opportunity to US soldiers to abuse and violate the rights of Filipino women and children.

The rape of Filipino women and children by US soldiers is nothing new. The United States’ long military history in the Philippines began in 1898 when the US took control of the Philippines. After 48 years of direct colonial rule, even though mock independence was awarded in 1946, a Military Bases Agreement allowed the US to use Subic Naval Base, Clark Air Base and 19 other military facilities. These bases closed in 1991 following years of protest against the crimes and misconduct of US troops.

The US government stipulated that under the existing military agreement, no US personnel or soldier accused of crime inside the country could be tried under Philippine jurisdiction.
 

During the military bases occupation in the Philippines, prostitution became rampant in Subic and Clark, known as the “twin cities of sex”. According to GABRIELA (A National Alliance of Women’s Organizations in the Philippines) since 1988, there have been 1,260 cases of violence and abuse by US soldiers in Clark Base and 2,005 in Subic Base. Fifteen of these cases were sexual abuses against children aged 11-16 while 82 were cases against women older than 16 years. Aside from prostitution, drugs and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) also became rampant in military bases and its perimeter. There were also “souvenir babies” or Amerasian children who were abandoned by their US soldier-fathers.

Today, while no permanent bases exist for the US military, US troops continually enter the Philippines as Special Forces advisers,. “Counter-terrorism” has become a continuing excuse to allow more US soldiers into the country, through the agency of the Visiting Forces Agreement.

The Visiting Forces Agreement grants US soldiers accused of crimes within Philippine jurisdiction privileges that are denied to Filipino citizens under their own charter. Under the Visiting Forces Agreement, the accused remained in US custody and the rules governing criminal jurisdiction clearly weakened Nicole’s case and violated her right to “equal protection under the law.”

Since 2000, 14 crimes by US soldiers have already been reported. Meanwhile, prostitution continues to flourish in areas where these soldiers hold their “war games”. Soldiers boast that a Filipina was as cheap as hamburger.

US troops continue to arrive in increasing numbers to intensify US military intervention in the archipelago, as if there had been no Subic rape case or any crime against the Filipino people. The last joint military exercises brought over 5,000 US soldiers to the country. This high level of US military presence comes at a time when human rights abuses and political killings are rampant in the Philippines. Since Arroyo’s rise to power in 2001, over 770 politically-motivated killings have been carried out by elements of the US-trained Armed Forces of the Philippines. Arroyo uses the US-sponsored “war on terror” to justify terrorizing her own people by crushing dissent.

For the estimated 500,000 Filipinos living in Canada, the majority of whom are women working as live-in caregivers, we know all too well the extend of violence Filipino women face. We face the economic violence of being forced to migrate abroad and leave our children behind. We face physical and emotional violence working in dirty, difficult and dangerous jobs abroad. And many women face physical violence from their spouses once they are brought to Canada. We encourage our women to break the silence around all forms of violence and that is why we also support and draw inspiration from Nicole and her struggle for justice.

Justice for Nicole! Justice for our Nation!
 

Stop the Rape of Filipino Women! Stop the Rape of the Filipino Nation!
Stop Violence Against Women! Break the Silence!
Junk the Visiting Forces Agreement! US Troops, Out of the Philippines, Now!
Oppose US-sponsored state terrorism!

November 27, 2006

Statement issued by:

National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada
Vancouver: Philippine Women Centre of BC
Winnipeg: Philippine Women Centre of Manitoba
Montreal: Philippine Women Centre of Quebec, PINAY sa Montreal
Toronto: Philippine Women Centre of Ontario 

Download statement in Word format