A Philippine official in charge of supervising the US-Philippine Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) said on Friday that the six US marines accused of raping a Filipino woman will not be given immunity and the case will be tried and resolved in the Philippine courts.

"I have to emphasize that there are no provisions in the VFA that grant immunity to US troops either from criminal or civil liabilities," said Foreign Undersecretary Zosimo Paredes, who is also executive director of the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement.

He said there are misconceptions that the VFA grant limited or full immunity to US troops who are participating in joint military exercises in the Philippines.

"On the contrary, the agreement does not give immunity - full or limited, to US personnel, but rather subject them to the laws, policies, public morals of the Philippines," he said.

The first hearing of preliminary investigation was held on Wednesday at a prosecutor's office in the Subic Bay former US navy base, where the rape allegedly took place.

The six marines were accused of raping a 22-year-old woman on Nov. 1 after participating in a joint military exercise last month. They are reportedly under custody of the US embassy.

Neither the accused nor the alleged victim appeared at Wednesday's hearing. Only their lawyers were present.

Paredes said the absence of the suspects at the hearing was not "an insult to the Philippine courts" but was allowed by the rules of the courts.

Source: Xinhua