[Mb-civic] Prostitution flourishes with US Soldiers

[Harold Sifton]

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 counterparts.

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.

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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