Posted on 11/25/2005 1:35:30 AM PST by kipita
JEDDAH, 25 November 2005 The alleged rape of the young Filipino woman several weeks ago by a group of drunken US Marines on R&R leave in Subic Bay has raised more questions than it has answered.
The main question in my mind is why would any woman in her right mind hook up with a group of six young and, lets be honest here, horny soldiers in a bar of all places? After news of the rape broke out into the media, the womans family was at pains to insist that their daughter was of boa familia and was definitely not a prostitute. In fact, they rushed to emphasize that shes a college graduate. Which just makes me wonder even more about what happened to her common sense that night when she agreed to join the Marines in their drinking spree?
Unfortunately, as we all know, a good education is no guarantee of having common sense, and in this case it is sadly doubly true.
The other troubling question is how this whole case is being exploited by the media, especially the tabloid newspapers, to whip up blind anti-Americanism. For sure the Visiting Forces Agreement, which the Philippines signed with the United States after the American pull-out from the Clark and Subic Bay military bases in 1992, heavily favors the United States. This is the case with all agreements the US signs with allies in terms of jurisdiction over American citizens who commit crimes on foreign soil while serving in the US military.
Nevertheless, as recent rape cases involving US servicemen in Japan and Korea have shown, the United States has a good track record of keeping the accused soldiers in the country where the crime was committed, and has punished those found guilty of committing rape.
This case has also served to polarize public opinion between the feminist camp, which views the woman in this case as a total victim who must find vindication at all costs in the courts of law and public opinion, and the skeptical camp that is probably mostly male, and which wonders why a woman who voluntarily offered herself to the six Americans is now complaining that they took advantage of her.
The legal teams of both sides is indicative of this split: The victims team is all female, headed by the high-profile Katrina Legarda, who appeared on ABS-CBN televisions Pipol program Wednesday night saying that the Marines didnt have to rape the girl, as they could have paid a prostitute for a good time.
I was amazed when I heard that, as obviously the woman involved was not a professional lady of the night, but was still obviously sleazy enough to get blind drunk with the American soldiers and then even agree to go with them into their van, where they allegedly raped her as they drove around Subic.
The US Marines for their part, are being represented by an all-male team of older lawyers, many former diplomats who have served in Philippine embassies abroad, including the lead lawyer Raul Rabe, who served at the Philippine Embassy in Washington.
Some observers have commented that the woman claiming rape seems to just be after money that she could gain in some sort of settlement with the accused. I for one still feel unsure about many aspects of this case. It is just unfortunate that many in the media have decided to pre-judge the case before the accused have even had the chance to present their side of the story in a court of law.
Lets judge this case in a court of law, and not be hasty and pre-judge it in the media.
I assume you believe Natalee Holloway deserved what she got ?
Right! Blame the victim, Joe.
When you drink do you lose control?
My recollection is that they were not white. Does that change your perspective ?
conflicting testimony so far
One defense attorney, Jose Justiniano, said his American client was "somewhere in Olongapo" and had been prepared to challenge the testimony of the woman and the driver of the van, who claimed the Marine was among the six involved in the alleged rape inside the moving vehicle. The woman and the driver also did not appear at the hearing.
Justiniano said two of the Marines named in the complaint have witnesses who can corroborate they were in another location when the alleged attack occurred, but he declined to be more specific.
more info
A 22-year-old woman has claimed the Americans gang-raped her in the Subic Freeport on November 1.
During the proceedings defense lawyers urged prosecutor Prudencio Jalandoni to accept as evidence tapes and transcripts of radio interviews with Timoteo Soriano, a van driver who initially said he witnessed the rape.
The lawyers cited radio interviews in which Soriano said that Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority security chief Paquito Torres coerced him into linking the Americanseven though he had never seen the alleged rape.
Torres, who was at the proceedings, denied using coercion and invoked his right to counsel.
The prosecutor ordered radio stations to submit copies and transcripts of the interview with Soriano detailing the alleged coercion.
Bullshit! These soldiers have seats next to GOD in my view. All soldiers do. These men and women in uniform are far more elevated in the status of respect than I give any other human beings...even cops. These guys get shot at 100 times a day, grenades thrown at them, people running up to them with bombs strapped to them selves, live in dirt, take a shower once a week...maybe, eat out of a bag, sleep in a truck, or on the ground. And you say "keep it in your pants"????? If I had the money, I'd charter a 777 and stop in PI, Pataya Beach, then Singapore, load the hell out of the plane and fly it to Iraq so these guys can have some R&R... My God, they could be dead tomorrow!
This girl was hangin' with six Marines in PI!!!! She was not a choir girl at the local church. This type of thing is VERY common there....whether there is ten guys, and one girl, or ten girls and one guy... Throw in a basket and there is not much other one can think about for a few hours. And dammit, if anyone is deserving of "Military custom" type of R&R, it is our boys doing something over there that not too many people off our streets would consider doing. They're too busy sitting back in the luxury and safety of their homes and computer chair passing judgment on a small group of folks who I believe should be exempt from civilian brow beating...what gives anyone the right unless they them selves are over there walking on the edge of DEATH??!!??!!??
You, and others who passed judgment on these guys with out even hearing their side of the story, I think is pretty damn piss poor to say the least.
I have read somewhere that they are Caucasian.
Give them a fair trial and a fast hanging.
Hang 'em high and all their perp defenders with them.
I will tell you why I do not believe this story. In PI, a twenty dollar bill will get you drunk, eats, a hotel, and female companionship and in the morning you may have to pull out the next twenty dollar bill for breakfast depending on your consumption the night before. Gettin laid in PI is too easy to have to rape... I sat back and read this article and laughed because of the way it is there...who the hell needs to rape anyone?? Girls will give it up for five bucks!
Very, very well said. If I had been blogging as long as you have I'd probably be less diplomatic and more.......well as you said it.
With all do respect, please read comment #27 again.
bttt...
.....any woman who gets drunk with six men/soldiers then leaves with them is pretty sure what will follow and she has already made up her mind. She has a choice walk with them or walk away from them.
If however she is grabed by any of them as she walks away, it is rape!
Agree 150%....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.