Phl not to allow 'one-sided' deal on US military presence: official

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippines will ensure that its interest is protected during ongoing talks on increased rotational presence of US troops in the country, a senior government official said today.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said both the US and the Philippine panels are using existing agreements such as the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) as "baseline" for negotiations on a new deal.

"As these agreements have been in existence for a number of years, both countries are aware of the challenges in implementation. Both panels will consider how to frame the proposed agreement in such a way that those challenges will be addressed adequately," said Coloma.

In the past, the Philippines had expressed concern over the jurisdiction of US troops in the country. This stemmed from the case of Lance Corporal Daniel Smith who was charged with rape and was placed under the jurisdiction of the US embassy in 2006.

Coloma said the Philippines "should learn from experience" and will not allow "a one-sided agreement that would favor the United States."

The 6th round of negotiations for increased rotational presence of US troops kicked off in Washington on Wednesday (Philippine time).