The US Embassy released the statement hours after President Arroyo lashed at Bayan Muna sectoral Reps. Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza for running to the defense of a suspected Abu Sayyaf terrorist but neglecting to help impoverished Basilan residents who have been victimized by the Islamist group.
"The US Embassy categorically denies the assertions of involvement by US service personnel in a shooting incident in Basilan," the embassy said in a statement, describing as "outrageous" the charges raised on Sunday by the two sectoral lawmakers.
Ocampo and Maza, along with several foreign activists, charged that a US commando, whom they identified as "Reggie Lane," shot and wounded a certain Buyong Buyong Isnijal, an Abu Sayyaf suspect wanted for at least two murder cases, in Tuburan, Basilan on July 25.
But the US Embassy said "the assertions being circulated are patently false."
Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina, chief of the military’s Southern Command (Southcom), said Isnijal was shot in the leg not by an American commando but by Philippine Army Sgt. Joel Millarosa of the 18th Infantry Battalion, because the suspect had resisted arrest and tried to grab the M-16 rifle of one of the members of the team.
The military then sought the help of an American medic whom Carolina identified as Sgt. Reginald Lay, who gave first aid to the wounded suspect.
Carolina said Lay was popular in Basilan because he had been involved in several medical missions for residents since the Balikatan exercises began in January.
Isnijal was then brought to battalion headquarters in Barangay Camp Uno in Tuburan and later to the Lamitan District Hospital.
Ocampo and Maza made the charge after accompanying foreign delegates to the "International Solidarity Mission Against US Armed Intervention in the Philippines" to investigate "human rights abuses" in the ongoing Balikatan exercise. "No US forces were involved in combat operations in Basilan. No US service member fired on a Filipino civilian. A US medic may have actually saved the life of the (Abu Sayyaf) member involved," the embassy said.
"This medical assistance helped stabilize the potentially fatal wound the (Abu Sayyaf) member received. We understand that the individual is under indictment by Philippine authorities for his activities," the embassy said.
The Visiting Forces Agreement Commission (VFACom), the inter-agency committee supervising RP-US military exercises, affirmed the embassy statement and dismissed Ocampo’s claim that the shooting incident violated the "terms of reference" governing the "Balikatan 02-1" war games which end tomorrow.
The six-month Balikatan 02-1 is aimed at training Filipino troops in skills and equipment that would help them defeat the Abu Sayyaf which has been continually conducting terrorist activities in Mindanao for the past decade.
"Let me serve warning: we shall not relent in the fight against terrorists and criminals hiding behind the veil of human rights advocacies or other seemingly, deceptively legitimate political advocacies," Mrs. Arroyo said.
Dismissing the two lawmakers’ charge as propaganda aimed at embarrassing the country and the government, she challenged the two legislators to interview the six victims she presented yesterday.
"One of the things we have to undergo when we bear down strongly on terrorism and crimes is the allegation that we are engaged in human rights violations. I have two answers to our critics," Mrs. Arroyo said.
"One, we will not validate your propaganda by engaging in human rights violations. Two, many of you commit human rights violations yourselves," she said, apparently referring to the summary executions committed by communist guerrillas.
Carolina reiterated that no American combatant was involved in the operation to arrest Isnijal, who was confirmed by Basilan residents as being an Abu Sayyaf member.
Carolina explained that "Charlie" company of the Army’s 18th Infantry Battalion conducted the operation to arrest Isnijal, who was wanted for the kidnapping of 15 men in Basilan last year and the murder of a Basilan barangay captain in 1991
However, Ocampo and Maza, apparently acting on a complaint of Isnijal’s wife, accused the American medic of having shot Isnijal on the night of the operation.
"They are imagining things," Carolina stressed. "No Americans took part in the operation to arrest Buyong Buyong (Isnijal)."
"Let me ask our critics: Why don’t you yourselves interview these victims of the Abu Sayyaf and see and listen for yourselves what it means to be a victim of the worst form of brutality and inhuman treatment," the President added.
The three women — Gliceria Ramirez, Lydia Ibanes and Hermie Revilla — are residents of Barangay Balobo in Lamitan, Basilan from where they were seized along with their husbands and 28 other people on Aug. 2 last year.
The three women said the 24 village residents — 10 male and 28 women and children — were seized by the Abu Sayyaf and held for three days and nights.
On the fourth day, the three women said their Abu Sayyaf abductors released them as government troops closed in on them but not before their husbands were beheaded and some of the women were molested or raped.
Ramirez tearfully recalled how her two sons, breadwinners in their family, were beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf.
"We’re innocent but two of my sons were beheaded and we’re being threatened by them until now. What will happen to us? My sons were my family’s breadwinners," Ramirez said between sobs.
Ibanes, for her part, lamented that while their husbands were brutalized by the Abu Sayyaf, some people were still making the Abu Sayyaf appear as the victims.
"We are just asking for justice. We are the aggrieved party and yet the Abu Sayyaf are being made to appear as the victims," Ibanes said.
On the other hand, the three young men, identified as Faisal Benasing, Ruben Abellon and Fernano Romeo, were seized with 12 other male residents of Barangay Tairan in Lantawan, Basilan on June 11, 2001.
Feeling the heat of the government troops who were pursuing them, the Abu Sayyaf beheaded two of the men and enslaved the 13 others for around five months until the military rescued them on different dates from October to November.
"I’m really amazed at how quickly they raised hell about an Abu Sayyaf member who was shot in the leg and treated," Carolina said.
Carolina said the Southcom even felt confident that the foreigners with Ocampo and Maza would see the truth while they were in Basilan and the military even provided security to the group for fear they would be kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf.
"But when they were undertaking their so-called ‘fact-finding mission’, they snubbed these (six) people. There are so many victims of human rights in Basilan (but) they did not interview these people," he said. - With reports from Paolo Romero, Aurea Calica, Jess Diaz, Perseus Echeminada, Sandy Araneta