US military ships cleared to leave PH but USS Peleliu to stay: VFA Commission

From InterAksyon (Oct 15): US military ships cleared to leave PH but USS Peleliu to stay: VFA Commission

Five of six US military ships were cleared to leave the Philippines, except the USS Peleliu, of which the US Marine who was tagged in the killing of a Filipino transgender is a crew member, a presidential adviser said on Tuesday.

Eduardo Oban, executive director of the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFACOM), said the US vessels are in the country either to re-fuel or to transport thousands of US soldiers who joined a military exercise with their Philippine counterparts last month.

“All other ships may now leave the Philippines to proceed with their respective operations or missions,” Oban said.

Apart from primary suspect Private First Class Joseph Pemberton, an undetermined number of witnesses, also US soldiers, are detained on board the Peleliu, Oban said.

“The bottom line is that all those involved in the case will stay and Peleliu is not going to leave until the investigation is done,” he said.

Oban said the other crewmen of the Peleliu may be allowed to leave the country and transferred to other ships.

Victim Jeffrey Laude, 26, was found dead inside an Olongapo City motel last Saturday. Witnesses said he was last seen with a foreigner.

Pemberton is among the 3,500 US servicemen who participated in the recently concluded joint military exercise with Filipino troops in various parts of the country.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/97297/us-military-ships-cleared-to-leave-ph-but-uss-peleliu-to-stay-vfa-commission