Rape case not to holdback US marine drills: Philippine military

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday said the alleged rape case involving US marine service men in Subic Bay will have no impact on the military drills between Philippine and US troops in this former US naval base.

Tristan Quizon, chief of the AFP public information office said that the alleged rape of a 22-year-old Filipina by six US marine service men on Tuesday is an isolated issue that concerns individuals, not the "Balikatan", according to an updated report on the website of Philippine Daily Inquirer.

"Balikatan", meaning "shoulder by shoulder", refers to the codename of annual US-Philippine bi-lateral joint military exercises held in the Subic Bay.

Later Friday afternoon, about 30 activists from a Filipino students and women's rights group carried banners saying "U.S. troops out now!" as they tried to march to the US embassy here but were stopped by police.

Meanwhile, a Filipino left-wing non-government group based in the United States condemned the alleged rape, saying that there is a century-long history of US military atrocities committed against Filipinos in the Philippines that were never brought to justice.

Source: Xinhua