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_WORLD WATCH______________________________
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Philippines ________________
Bishops support US presence
Limited objectives cited
The Catholic bishops of the Philippines support the presence of American troops in the country to assist the Philippine armed forces in the struggle to eliminate terrorism, the Fides news service reports.
While in the past the bishops have been critical of the use of military force in Mindanao, where guerrillas associated with the Islamic group Abu Sayyaf are active, they have indicated their approval for joint exercises that began January 31, with 600 US soldiers taking part.
The bishops have explained that their approval for the US military presence is based on the fact that the vast majority of residents in the southern Philippines—including Muslims—want to see an end to the kidnapping tactics of the Abu Sayyaf rebels.
“In Cotabato diocese [in Mindanao] where there are repeated kidnappings, our people are asking when it will end,” Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, president of the bishops’ conference, told the media. “We support the will of the people in this regard.”
Last year the bishops voiced their opposition to a government call for “all-out war” against Muslim rebels. The bishops now point out that their support for the current program is based on the government’s more limited objective: the elimination of Abu Sayyaf. The bishops have asked the government to take steps to ensure that the presence of American troops does not bring any deterioration in the moral standards of the community. US soldiers are scheduled to be in the Philippines for six months.