US troops in Philippines defy old stereotype

In southern islands, the US has helped the Philippine Army for more than five years to stem Muslim insurgency.

from the March 1, 2007 edition

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Mr. Muarip says that his brother, a Muslim who favors adoption of sharia Islamic law in Mindanao, is skeptical of US largesse and rejects the deployment in the Philippines. Other critics say that the arrival of US troops, whatever their intentions, stirs anxiety among Muslims.

"The face of the US in our area is the face of an American soldier, so any good that they do is neutralized by fear of the American military," says Amina Rasul, co-founder of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy and scion of a prominent royal family here.

National hackles were also raised by a highly publicized trial of a US marine convicted on Dec. 4 of raping a Philippine woman in 2005. After Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith was sentenced to 40 years in prison, a row erupted over US insistence that he remain in their custody pending an appeal. When the court balked, the embassy vowed to cancel a joint military exercise. Ultimately, the Philippines caved; the exercise begins this week.

Lawyers for the victim protested the handover, and the blunt wielding of US leverage, such as military aid that has totaled more than $300 million since 2002. US officials argue, however, that their request was explicitly ensured in a treaty.

While US forces reaped a degree of goodwill in Basilan through their civil-outreach programs, Jolo may prove more testing. Denied sanctuary on Basilan, Abu Sayyaf has since regrouped on this island, where a US-backed Philippine military offensive against the group is now under way. Also on the run in Jolo are Indonesian militants whom US officials have linked to the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings. The jungle-clad hills hold bitter memories of a US occupation in 1898 that met fierce resistance for more than a decade.

Zain Jali, a spiritual adviser to an insurgent group that signed a 1996 peace deal, says distrust of the Philippine Army and its US advisers runs deep. "In the mind of the people, Americans are their enemy, their historical enemy," he warns.

US officers deployed on Jolo say such attitudes appear to be softening, as humanitarian programs with the Philippine Army and civilian-aid projects bear fruit. USAID has funneled $300 million into Mindanao since 1996.

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