US claims wayward drone drifted from Guam drill

From the Daily Tribune (Jan 9): US claims wayward drone drifted from Guam drill

The United States yesterday confirmed it owned a drone found in the sea off Masbate but claimed that the craft only drifted into Filipino territory after crashing at sea four months ago. The “unarmed target drone” was deployed from the guided missile destroyer USS Chafee in war games off the coast of Guam in September last year, the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

The militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) wanted a Senate probe into the crash of a United States-made  drone in waters off Masbate, calling the incident a “violation of national sovereignty.”

The drone, a BGM-74E Chuckar III — described as an aerial target drone used in military exercises crashed off Ticao Island Sunday morning and was discovered by local fishermen. Police said locals initially thought it was a bomb and panicked. The US Embassy said the drone was unarmed and not used for surveillance. “It appears the ocean currents brought the drone to where it washed ashore last week off Masbate island,” it said.

Fishermen found the drone drifting just off the coast of the island in central Philippines, about 2,500 kilometers from Guam, during the weekend. President Aquino had previously said US drones are allowed to conduct reconnaissance missions in the Philippines as part of efforts to contain a range of security threats.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has said drones are used during annual joint military exercises with the US in its waters, while some 600 US forces have been in Mindanao since 2002 to help train local troops to deal with Islamic militants.

Nevertheless the discovery of the drone stirred controversy in the Philippines, prompting local authorities to insist the machine was not being used for spying or to fire weapons at targets.
“It is not a spy plane. It is unarmed. It is used by the US Navy in its training,” Philippine military spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Burgos said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs released a similar statement, although qualifying it by emphasizing its comments were based on assurances from the US government. “At this point, we have been assured by the US Embassy that the reported aerial vehicle is by design and purpose solely used for target practice and not armed or used for surveillance,” the statement said.

Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes alleged the drone was proof the United States, a former colonial ruler of the Philippines, was violating Filipino sovereignty. “No sovereign nation would allow a foreign power unhampered use of domestic airspace,” Reyes said in a statement. “Whether it is an aerial target drone, a surveillance drone or an attack drone, there are no clear guidelines on the use of these unmanned aerial vehicles in Philippine territory,” Reyes added.

“It appears that the US government has been using the Visiting Forces Agreement to gain unrestricted movement in Philippine airspace,” he added. Reyes said the use of drones within Philippine territory poses more questions about the VFA, Article 8, Section 3 of which provides that “aircraft operated by or for the United States armed forces shall observe local air traffic control regulations while in the Philippines.” “This does not seem to hold true for US drones,” Reyes observed.

“The problem with US drones is that they can be used for surveillance and they can be used for actual combat operations. We have a situation where a foreign power can fly anytime and anywhere it wants, undertake surveillance, and on occasion, even participate in actual combat operations. Drones underscore US direct involvement in internal conflict in the Philippines,” he added.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/8945-us-claims-wayward-drone-drifted-from-guam-drill