Marines Probed In Philippines Rape

Philippine police said they were investigating five U.S. Marines who took part in counterterrorism exercises for allegedly raping a woman while on liberty in a former U.S. naval base, officials said Thursday.

Philippine authorities briefly delayed the departure of a U.S. warship while searching for the five Marines, who were not allowed to leave the country as scheduled Thursday along with thousands of other American military personnel, said Zosimo Paredes, executive director of a government commission overseeing joint Philippine-U.S. military exercises.

The U.S. Embassy said the five Marines "are currently in the Philippines under the responsibility of the U.S. Embassy in Manila."

The government immediately expressed concern over the alleged rape, which could provoke fierce condemnation from left-wing groups opposed to the presence of American troops for counterterrorism training with Filipino soldiers.

"The perpetrators of this heinous crime shall be brought to justice," Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo told a news conference.

Paredes said the five Marines met the Filipino woman on Tuesday in Subic Bay, a former U.S. naval base that has been transformed into an industrial and recreational hub north of Manila.

The woman was allegedly raped by the Marines later that night in a still undisclosed place within the sprawling free port, Paredes said.

It was not immediately clear whether the soldiers have been charged. But U.S. Embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop said he expected charges to be filed soon.

"We're in control of the situation and we're not allowing that this will be whitewashed one way or another," Paredes said.