ANGELES CITY – Large contingents of local policemen have been securing US military soldiers now at Clark Freeport for Balikatan US-RP joint military exercises, even at this city’s “red light” district visited by the Americans for “rest and recreation”.
In an interview with Punto, city police director Senior Supt. Pierre Bucsit admitted that just last Monday night, some 50 local cops were deployed along Fields Avenue after US military personnel requested for police security during their “rest and recreation” sortie there.
Bucsit said some 500 personnel from the US Marines and another 100 personnel from the US Air Force have arrived at Clark, a former major US air force base until 1991, apparently in connection with the Balikatan exercises.
Punto tried to contact US embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson but her cell phone seemed turned off. A member of her staff at the embassy in Manila, who asked not to be named, confirmed the presence of US military at Clark and noted that some of them are part of a contingent to perform medical, dental, veterinary, construction, and other such missions as part of Balikatan.
The Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) said that Clark is one of the areas where Balikatan exercises is now ongoing. The other areas include Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Ternate in Cavite, and areas in the Bicol region.
Bucsit said that the number of local policemen assigned to secure American soldiers would depend on “criminal and other threats” against them. Recent killings of foreign tourists, including Americans in this city, have remained unsolved.
“At present, though, there is no perceived threat against the Americans,” he also said.
But despite this, he said that some 50 cops went on “visibility” mode along Fields Avenue two nights ago to secure some 100 soldiers who coordinated with the local police for their visit to local bars in the area. The avenue has long been regarded as a “red light district” during the era of the US Air Force base at Clark, surviving the departure of the Americans and even the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. The area hosts hundreds of night clubs, massage parlors, restaurants, and other such attractions catering mostly to male tourists.
Bucsit said that the movement of US military personnel is limited within the perimeter fence of Clark which also includes the SM-City Clark mall. “If they have to go out, they are supposed to coordinate with us first for security, as there are places where they can go and not go outside Clark,” he said.
This city has a police force of only about 250, as against a regular population of about 700,000 which doubles during the daytime.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) said that the two-week joint US-RP Army Forces Field Training Exercise under Balikatan has already started at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
It said the exercise is participated in by 287 Filipino soldiers mostly from 49th Infantry Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division, and 247 US troopers from of 1/29th Infantry Regiment of the US Army.
“Combined RP-US military forces will participate in Special Operations Forces and cross-training exercises inside the sprawling Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation area, home of the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division, and the Special Operations Command,” Nolcom said.
Nolcom said “the Fort Magsaysay event of the Balikatan training includes jungle survival, cross training, live fire artillery and IDF shoot, parachute jumps, and other military tactics, techniques and procedures. “
“The next two weeks of this challenging and rewarding field training exercises will benefit both forces. Likewise, the whole command and the training audience share the same feeling of enthusiasm and expect fruitful gains in shouldering the load together. We continuously remain steadfast in constantly improving the RP-US Balikatan for the capability of our mutual defense while at the same time enhancing not only security relations for RP and US troops but also camaraderie and bond between our two allied forces,” said Maj. Gen. Ralph A Villanueva, commander of the Army’s 7th infantry division.
In an interview with Punto, city police director Senior Supt. Pierre Bucsit admitted that just last Monday night, some 50 local cops were deployed along Fields Avenue after US military personnel requested for police security during their “rest and recreation” sortie there.
Bucsit said some 500 personnel from the US Marines and another 100 personnel from the US Air Force have arrived at Clark, a former major US air force base until 1991, apparently in connection with the Balikatan exercises.
Punto tried to contact US embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson but her cell phone seemed turned off. A member of her staff at the embassy in Manila, who asked not to be named, confirmed the presence of US military at Clark and noted that some of them are part of a contingent to perform medical, dental, veterinary, construction, and other such missions as part of Balikatan.
The Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) said that Clark is one of the areas where Balikatan exercises is now ongoing. The other areas include Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Ternate in Cavite, and areas in the Bicol region.
Bucsit said that the number of local policemen assigned to secure American soldiers would depend on “criminal and other threats” against them. Recent killings of foreign tourists, including Americans in this city, have remained unsolved.
“At present, though, there is no perceived threat against the Americans,” he also said.
But despite this, he said that some 50 cops went on “visibility” mode along Fields Avenue two nights ago to secure some 100 soldiers who coordinated with the local police for their visit to local bars in the area. The avenue has long been regarded as a “red light district” during the era of the US Air Force base at Clark, surviving the departure of the Americans and even the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo. The area hosts hundreds of night clubs, massage parlors, restaurants, and other such attractions catering mostly to male tourists.
Bucsit said that the movement of US military personnel is limited within the perimeter fence of Clark which also includes the SM-City Clark mall. “If they have to go out, they are supposed to coordinate with us first for security, as there are places where they can go and not go outside Clark,” he said.
This city has a police force of only about 250, as against a regular population of about 700,000 which doubles during the daytime.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) said that the two-week joint US-RP Army Forces Field Training Exercise under Balikatan has already started at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
It said the exercise is participated in by 287 Filipino soldiers mostly from 49th Infantry Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division, and 247 US troopers from of 1/29th Infantry Regiment of the US Army.
“Combined RP-US military forces will participate in Special Operations Forces and cross-training exercises inside the sprawling Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation area, home of the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division, and the Special Operations Command,” Nolcom said.
Nolcom said “the Fort Magsaysay event of the Balikatan training includes jungle survival, cross training, live fire artillery and IDF shoot, parachute jumps, and other military tactics, techniques and procedures. “
“The next two weeks of this challenging and rewarding field training exercises will benefit both forces. Likewise, the whole command and the training audience share the same feeling of enthusiasm and expect fruitful gains in shouldering the load together. We continuously remain steadfast in constantly improving the RP-US Balikatan for the capability of our mutual defense while at the same time enhancing not only security relations for RP and US troops but also camaraderie and bond between our two allied forces,” said Maj. Gen. Ralph A Villanueva, commander of the Army’s 7th infantry division.
