MANILA, January 20 (Xinhua) -- Most Filipinos oppose the
participation of U.S. troops in wiping out the Abu Sayyaf bandit group,
according to the results of a recent survey.
In the survey conducted by the Ibon Foundation Inc.'s Databank and
Research Center for the period of November to December of last year, 1,136
respondents from various sectors were asked whether they approved of the
direct participation of U.S. troops in the fight against the Abu Sayyaf.
Ibon said 52.73 percent of the respondents replied "no," and 40.32
percent, "yes." But of the 450 respondents from Metro Manila, 48.44
percent answered "yes," and 42.67 percent, "no."
More than 600 U.S. troops, including the elite Special Force
soldiers, are arriving the Philippines for a war exercise which will
feature "test missions" aimed at wiping out the Abu Sayyaf and rescuing
its hostages, American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and
Filipino nurse Deborah Yap.
Critics say the presence of the U.S. troops violates the
Constitution, and activist groups are demanding their pullout. Butthe
Department of Justice has said the U.S. presence was consistent not only
with the Constitution but also with the Philippines-U.S. Visiting Forces
Agreement and Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). Enditem
