The US congressional delegation (left to right) Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (District of Maryland), Rep. Gregory Meeks (District of New York), Rep. Heather Wilson (District of New Mexico), Rep. Silvestre Reyes (District of Texas) and Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (District of New Jersy). Also in photo are (2nd from right) Zamboanga City 1st District Rep. Maria Isabelle Climaco and Mayor Celso Lobregat. Photo Above Rep. Reyes, who leads the US congressional delegate, gestures as he explains the presence of American soldiers in Mindanao.A bipartisan United States (US) congressional delegation, led by Representative Silvestre Reyes of the District of Texas, on Saturday denied here reports that a US military base is being planned or under construction in the southern Philippines.
Earlier, a research institute active in monitoring US military actions in the Philippines claimed that Washington is building a military base in Mindanao, in contravention of the Philippine Constitution.
"Our attempt is not to establish any bases here (Mindanao). Our attempt is to continue to work together and to thank the Philippine government and its people for their commitment to work with us on this global war on terrorism," Reyes told reporters in a press conference at City Hall.
The US delegation, composed of other Representatives Rodney P. Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, Heather Wilson of New Mexico, Gregory W. Meeks of New York and "Dutch" Ruppersberger of Maryland, met local leadership here led by Mayor Celso Lobregat and visited American soldiers inside the Western Mindanao Command headquarters.
The visiting American lawmakers are members the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Armed Services Committee, Energy and Commerce Committee, Appropriations Committee and Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, Committee on Financial Services and Committee on International Relations, respectively.
On Friday, they met with their Philippine Congressional counterparts, laid a wreath at the American Cemetery in Manila to commemorate American and Filipinos who died defending freedom in World War II.
Rep. Reyes described the delegation's visit as "A welcome opportunity for my colleagues and myself to travel to the Philippines to see, first hand, the close cooperation between our two countries on several fronts."
"We hope to learn more about the many strong aspects of the U.S.-Philippines relationship, and to talk about ways that we can make our relations even stronger. Recent events remind us that our two nations are not just historical allies, but allies in today's fight against terrorists."
Meanwhile, the US representatives have expressed their sympathies to the families of soldiers that had been killed in separate clashes with the Al Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf terror group in Basilan and Sulu.
"We recognize and we know how sad to lose the love ones as we continue to experience those deaths in Iraq , Afghanistan and other parts of the world. So we wanted to share our sympathies to the Philippine people. Again, we're here to show our commitment and to make sure that we better understand the present challenges that we face both," Rep. Reyes said.
A research associate with Focus on the Global South was quoted as saying that there was evidence a base was being built and that Washington is in the process of building a military base.
Focus, a non-government research organization, said that in June 6, 2007, the US Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) awarded a 14.4-million dollar contract to Global Contingency Services LLC of Irving, Texas for "operations support" for the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P).
JSOTF-P is a unit established by the US special operations command that has been stationed in the southern Philippines since 2002. Its role is to assist Manila in the war on terror with training and intelligence.
According to its own website, NAVFAC is the unit within the US military in charge of providing the US Navy with operating, support, and training bases, Focus on the Global South said in a statement.
It said the specific contract for work for the JSOTF-P is expected to be completed in January 2008 but other contracts may follow as part of the 450 million-dollar package.
According to Focus research, "the JSOTF-P is involved in the Philippine military's operations in the south, and represents the new low-profile kind of overseas presence that the US has been striving to introduce as part of its comprehensive restructuring of its forward-deployment since 2001."
This restructuring would see fewer permanent bases and more, smaller bases such as the JSOTF-P's presence in Zamboanga and in other places in southern Mindanao. Both the US and the Philippine governments had repeatedly denied reports that a military base is planned or under construction in the country.
The Filipino Constitution does not allow foreign troops to be stationed permanently in the country. The rule was introduced in 1991 when lawmakers voted to close two US bases in the country Clark Air Force Base and Subic Naval Station.
Local law also forbids foreign troops to be involved in combat. Under the US-Philippine visiting forces agreement, US troops may provide only training, information and humanitarian aid only.
In May, senior US state department official stressed the importance of a continued US presence in Mindanao where US soldiers have been credited with helping find and kill leaders of the Abu Sayyaf, notably its chieftain, Khaddafy Janjalani.
The US has more than 700 bases and installations in over 100 countries around the world.
Earlier, a research institute active in monitoring US military actions in the Philippines claimed that Washington is building a military base in Mindanao, in contravention of the Philippine Constitution.
"Our attempt is not to establish any bases here (Mindanao). Our attempt is to continue to work together and to thank the Philippine government and its people for their commitment to work with us on this global war on terrorism," Reyes told reporters in a press conference at City Hall.
The US delegation, composed of other Representatives Rodney P. Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, Heather Wilson of New Mexico, Gregory W. Meeks of New York and "Dutch" Ruppersberger of Maryland, met local leadership here led by Mayor Celso Lobregat and visited American soldiers inside the Western Mindanao Command headquarters.
The visiting American lawmakers are members the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Armed Services Committee, Energy and Commerce Committee, Appropriations Committee and Select Intelligence Oversight Panel, Committee on Financial Services and Committee on International Relations, respectively.On Friday, they met with their Philippine Congressional counterparts, laid a wreath at the American Cemetery in Manila to commemorate American and Filipinos who died defending freedom in World War II.
Rep. Reyes described the delegation's visit as "A welcome opportunity for my colleagues and myself to travel to the Philippines to see, first hand, the close cooperation between our two countries on several fronts."
"We hope to learn more about the many strong aspects of the U.S.-Philippines relationship, and to talk about ways that we can make our relations even stronger. Recent events remind us that our two nations are not just historical allies, but allies in today's fight against terrorists."
Meanwhile, the US representatives have expressed their sympathies to the families of soldiers that had been killed in separate clashes with the Al Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf terror group in Basilan and Sulu.
"We recognize and we know how sad to lose the love ones as we continue to experience those deaths in Iraq , Afghanistan and other parts of the world. So we wanted to share our sympathies to the Philippine people. Again, we're here to show our commitment and to make sure that we better understand the present challenges that we face both," Rep. Reyes said.
A research associate with Focus on the Global South was quoted as saying that there was evidence a base was being built and that Washington is in the process of building a military base.
Focus, a non-government research organization, said that in June 6, 2007, the US Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) awarded a 14.4-million dollar contract to Global Contingency Services LLC of Irving, Texas for "operations support" for the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P).
JSOTF-P is a unit established by the US special operations command that has been stationed in the southern Philippines since 2002. Its role is to assist Manila in the war on terror with training and intelligence.
According to its own website, NAVFAC is the unit within the US military in charge of providing the US Navy with operating, support, and training bases, Focus on the Global South said in a statement.
It said the specific contract for work for the JSOTF-P is expected to be completed in January 2008 but other contracts may follow as part of the 450 million-dollar package.
According to Focus research, "the JSOTF-P is involved in the Philippine military's operations in the south, and represents the new low-profile kind of overseas presence that the US has been striving to introduce as part of its comprehensive restructuring of its forward-deployment since 2001."
This restructuring would see fewer permanent bases and more, smaller bases such as the JSOTF-P's presence in Zamboanga and in other places in southern Mindanao. Both the US and the Philippine governments had repeatedly denied reports that a military base is planned or under construction in the country.
The Filipino Constitution does not allow foreign troops to be stationed permanently in the country. The rule was introduced in 1991 when lawmakers voted to close two US bases in the country Clark Air Force Base and Subic Naval Station.
Local law also forbids foreign troops to be involved in combat. Under the US-Philippine visiting forces agreement, US troops may provide only training, information and humanitarian aid only.
In May, senior US state department official stressed the importance of a continued US presence in Mindanao where US soldiers have been credited with helping find and kill leaders of the Abu Sayyaf, notably its chieftain, Khaddafy Janjalani.
The US has more than 700 bases and installations in over 100 countries around the world.
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