Row grows over U.S. troops in Philippines

A steady stream of troops has been arriving in the country in recent days

By Rufi Vigilar in Manila

MANILA, Philippines (CNN) - Philippine legislators have begun a high-level inquiry into the presence of U.S. troops in the country, with senators and top lawyers warning of the risks of increased U.S. military intervention in Philippine affairs.

In a Senate hearing Thursday, government critics raised legal questions and cited the lack of transparency of both the Philippine and U.S. governments on the arrival of some 660 American troops, which began this month.

The arguments have cast doubts over a consensus reached by the National Security Council on Wednesday to support what the government calls "joint training exercises" with the United States.

The consensus was meant to stem the growing controversy over the extent of the military exercises.

The exercises, part of the U.S.-led global war against terrorism, are directed against Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in the south of the country who have been linked to Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

The Abu Sayyaf have held hostage American couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipino nurse Deborah Yap for more than seven months.

On Wednesday cabinet and military officials presented a six-month timeline for the exercises, saying that these would not lead to the extended presence of U.S. troops nor the setting up of U.S. military bases in the country, which were dismantled in 1991.

The officials also said that "all operational matters" would be handled entirely by Philippine military commanders during the exercises.

'New ball game'

The U.S. presence has sparked a series of protests

However, Senator Rodolfo Biazon, a former Armed Forces chief, said invoking the U.S.-led global anti-terrorism campaign to subdue the Abu Sayyaf could lead to greater U.S. military presence in the country.

"Terrorism is a new ball game without any rules," he said, adding that this year's joint exercises were a "major departure" from previous ones.

Unlike in the past, this year's joint exercises will be conducted in a "conflict area," use live ammunition, use "live, moving targets," and last longer than usual -- from six months to a year.

The senator also said allowing U.S. troops to fire at the Abu Sayyaf in self-defense could cause problems.

In previous exercises, a security unit was assigned to protect participants in the exercises, Biazon said.

The Philippine government has cited the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) as allowing U.S. troops to closely "monitor" the performance of Philippine troops against the Abu Sayyaf.

But Philippine Constitution Association president Juan Ponce Enrile, a former defense secretary and senator, said the Abu Sayyaf crisis was not a military but a "police problem."

"It's the first time in history foreign troops will be used to enforce criminal laws of a country," he said.

New bases

Enrile said the U.S. government's terrorist tag on the Abu Sayyaf was "unilateral" and is not tied to a United Nations resolution supporting the global anti-terrorist campaign, which the Philippines recognizes.

The Philippine government is practically "adopting the foreign policy of the United States," Enrile said.

Furthermore an as yet unsigned military agreement, known as the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA), has raised suspicions that U.S. troops may set up virtual military bases in the Philippines.

A draft of the MLSA recently made public by a senator and member of the Lower House contained a provision on "base operations support".

The deal would supposedly "remain in force for a period of 10 years," with an option for termination by either party.

Defense Secretary Gen. Angelo Reyes admitted to the MLSA's existence only on Tuesday.

But Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Lauro Baja said that the MLSA was being formulated before President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo met with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington last November.

The yet unsigned document has caused a rift between President Arroyo and Vice President Teofisto Guingona, who had earlier contemplated resigning from the cabinet over the military exercises.

Guingona, a former senator who voted to dismantle U.S. military bases in 1991 and rejected the Visiting Forces Agreement, was absent during Thursday's Senate hearing.

His absence has fueled speculation that the debate over American troops in the country has a long way yet to go.