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Prostitution Flourishes With US Forces in Mindanao
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Some 3,000 US soldiers will be participating in a military exercise, a big contingent of which in Sulu.
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CAIRO,
February 6, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Prostitution has been
flourishing in Mindanao, the birthplace of Islam in the Philippines,
since the announcement of a planned US-Filipino military exercise on
the Island, a local newspaper reported on Monday, February 6.
"It
has become our greatest concern. My office is being flooded with
complaints and petitions from residents near the military camp,"
Alkramer Izquierdo, the acting mayor of Jolo, the capital of the
Mindanao island of Sulu, told the Inquirer.
Since
December of last year, the number of scantily dressed prostitutes has
rapidly increased near the military camp in the town, where the US
soldiers will be staying, he added.
A
month-long military training exercise, "Balikatan", is due
to begin this month between US soldiers and their Filipino
counterpart.
Some
3,000 US soldiers will be participating in the exercise, a big
contingent of which in Sulu.
"I
support the Balikatan, but we also fear the negative impact of
prostitution in our town," Izquierdo said.
Members
of Muslim and women's groups on January 17, gave a rowdy reception for
an advance US force.
Filipino
legislators have asked the government of abrogate the Visiting Forces
Agreement (VFA), a treaty that spells out the legal framework for US
soldiers in joint training exercises in the Philippines.
Trade
Retired
Army Major Roberto Parayno, President of the Tabak village
association, echoed a similar concern.
"Some
of our female teenagers were being mistaken for prostitutes and our
teachers could no longer make their lesson plans at night due to noise
coming from the videoke bars," he said.
Major
Parayno said that the number of prostitutes in Jolo increased to about
100 since November 21.
"Most
of these women came from Pagadian City, Dipolog City, and Zamboanga
City and the majority of them are very young."
He
blasted behavior of the military personnel on the prostitution trade
in the area.
Several
military personnel were even acting as pimps for the sex workers, he
charged.
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