The United States of America has commissioned the construction of facilities in South Philippines for U.S. soldiers, local media quoted a U.S. Embassy official as reporting on Tuesday.
The construction projects are for medical, logistical and administrative services to be used by the U.S. soldiers, the Manila Times cited Karen Schinnerer, U.S. Embassy deputy spokesperson.
The structures are "definitely not permanent U.S. bases," said the spokesperson, adding that U.S. soldiers will use the facilities only on a temporary basis for them to "eat, sleep, and work."
Schinnerer was reacting to an exclusive story by The Manila Times, which reported Monday that the United States is building a host of projects across the Mindanao, southern Philippines worth at least 14.4 million U.S. dollars. The newspaper cited a report by the Bangkok-based Focus on Global South, an international research institute that monitors U.S. military activities in the Philippines.
Referring to the facilities, Schinnerer said, It has to do with support of military projects.
The facilities are temporary quarters and not a military base, she said, adding that the U.S. government does not even have plans of leading any kind of military operations against rebels in Mindanao.
Schinnerer said the U.S. troops are in Mindanao upon the invitation of the Philippines, adding that the project has been contracted privately.
The Focus on Global South reported that on June 6, 2007, the U. S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command warded a six-month, 14.4- million-dollar contract to a certain "Global Contingency Services LLC" of Irving, Texas, for "operations support" for the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines.
Source: XinhuaPeople's Daily Online China
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