Anti-US rallies to greet Balikatan 2008 opening

Thousands of American and Filipino troops are set to begin Monday a series of exercises in several areas in Luzon and Mindanao under the Balikatan training that the Armed Forces said would benefit both forces. The ceremony would be graced by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, US ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenny and Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., said the training’s spokesman Maj. Ramon Zagala. Meanwhile, various organizations led by “US troops Out Now! Mindanao" and Bayan held simultaneous caravans Sunday. Anti-Balikatan groups are also set to launch bigger rallies on Monday. Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza, leading proponents in Congress for the rejection of Balikatan and the Visiting Forces Agreement, would join the caravan in Cagayan de Oro. Mindanaoan and Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan would deliver her privilege speech in the House of Representatives against US military intervention. At least 6,000 US troops and 2,000 Filipino soldiers will be taking part in the training that will last until March 3. The training will be composed of field training exercises, staff or classroom-like exercises and conduct of humanitarian activities. The field training exercises would be held in the traditional training areas in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; Marine Base Ternate and Sangley Point, both in Cavite; Crow Valley in Tarlac; and Clark Air Base in Pampanga. On the other hand, the staff exercise would be held in Clark Air Base and the humanitarian phase of the training would take place in Midsayap and Tacurong towns in Cotabato; Marawi City in Lanao del Norte; Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Palawan. Zagala said RP and US forces stand to benefit from each other during the exercises with the US troops teaching the “updated theories" while Filipino soldiers would teach the Americans “the realities in the field." “We learn and they learn. Mutual benefits to both RP and US forces will be derived from Balikatan. Filipino troops learn from updated technical expertise and training while our US counterparts will learn from the AFP actual experience and applications," he said. Anti-Balikatan volunteers hurt Two days before the annual military exercises, two alleged military agents fired at an anti-Balikatan group putting posters in Cagayan de Oro City. According to Jun Lopez of the US troops Out Now Mindanao group, he and his colleagues were conducting 'operation dikit' along Osmeña Street around 9 p.m. when two men on a motorcycle approached them and shouted, "Unsa man na?" (What are you doing?) One of the men then alighted and hit the back of the head of Jaynie Omundang, 17, and a volunteer of the coalition. When Lopez asked the men for their identification, he said one of the men pushed him. Lopez said the man, identifying himself as Jaime Simbajon appeared to be drunk. He said the other man pulled out his gun and started firing, forcing Lopez and the rest of the volunteers to scamper for safety. Some of the volunteers suffered abrasions. - GMANews.TV