A Filipino senator said on Thursday there would be strong negative reaction from the Philippines if the US authorities refuse to turn over six US marines accused of raping a Filipino woman at the Subic Bay former US navy base early this month.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, chairperson of a legislative watchdog committee over the Philippine-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), also said that the committee will recommend to the Congress fundamental revisions of the VFA because it has some provisions biased in favor of the US side.

She said that if the US authorities care about "the climate of public opinion", they should turn over the six suspects to Philippine authorities during preliminary investigation and trial.

The six US marines were accused of raping a 22-year-old Filipino woman early this month after they had participated in a joint military exercise with Filipino forces at the Subic Bay. They are now reportedly under custody in the US embassy in Manila.

Philippine judicial authorities will begin preliminary investigation on Nov. 23 when the suspects are subpoenaed to appear to a prosecutor in the Subic Bay.

The senator pointed out that the VFA, signed by the Philippine and US governments in 1998 to allow US troops to visit the Philippines on a regular basis, does not define clearly under which circumstances the Philippine authorities can ask for custody of US soldiers accused of committing crimes.

Source: Xinhua