By Roy Ramos
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines
The Philippines' Bureau of Immigration issued a deportation order Thursday against the German fiancé of a Filipino transgender woman for climbing into a military base and trying to view a U.S. marine suspected of her murder.
Bureau Spokesperson Atty. Elaine Tan told local media that the order was issued following a motion for voluntary deportation filed by Sueselbeck on Tuesday.
The order states that Sueselbeck, in filing a motion for voluntary deportation, is “deemed to admit the charges against him, agrees to have his name placed in the Black List and be barred from re-entering the country, and undertakes to secure his outbound ticket."
The order stems from an October 22 incident whereby Marc Sueselbeck scaled the perimeter fence of Camp Aguinaldo, the general headquarters of the Philippine military, in a bid to get a view of Private First Class Joseph Scott who is detained inside.
Pemberton is in U.S. custody as he faces trial for the murder of 26-year-old Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude, who was killed October 11 in Olongapo City. There have been widespread calls for him to be transferred to Philippine detention.
Sueselbeck was earlier charged by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for scaling the fence and shoving a military police guard inside Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City in an apparent attempt to confront Pemberton.
He later apologized for his actions, which the army accepted, but the military was still bent on imposing sanctions and having him deported.
“In hindsight, I admit it was a mistake and I hope you understand that what transpired was the frustration, [and the] extremely extraordinary mental pressure we all were in at that point," Sueselbeck said in radio interview.
“We’d lost a loved one and we felt that we had not received any answer to all the questions that we had consistently raised,” Sueselbeck said.
He said what drove him to push Sgt. Mariano Pamittan was the sight of Laude’s sister Marilou being pushed backward by camp guards.
“The American soldiers were laughing and I felt so insulted,” he added.
On Monday, a resolution was filed at the Philippines House of Representatives calling for an end to an agreement that gives the U.S. military special legal status in the country, local media reported.
Representative Walden Bello and Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago filed the proposal demanding the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement, which allows the U.S. to retain custody of personnel accused of crimes until the end of Philippine judicial procedures.
Bello said that the alleged killing of the transgender woman is the latest offense committed by U.S. personnel since the agreement was ratified in 1999, citing a 2005 rape, damage caused to a tropical reef by a U.S. warship in 2013 and the dumping of hazardous waste by a U.S. Navy contractor.
The lawmaker said it was clear the agreement, known as the VFA, “has not served the interests of the Philippines since its inception.”
He added: “There is a clear trend that the U.S. government is not mindful in observing and respecting Philippine laws.”
The killing of Laude has inflamed indignation over the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a 10-year deal that allows the U.S. to increase its military presence in the Philippines.
Previous incidents involving U.S. personnel have fostered the belief that U.S. servicemen act with impunity towards the local population.
The agreement also allowed the U.S. to establish more than 20 "semi permanent" military bases in the Philippines -- a former U.S. colony.
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