'Nicole' left for US for good

[hisuka]

‘Nicole’ left for US ‘for good’—lawyer

Counsel’s services terminated
By Thea Alberto, Erika Tapalla
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 11:27:00 03/17/2009

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) The Filipina who was raped by a US Marine and who fought to have him convicted and jailed left for the US “for good,” her lawyer revealed Tuesday at the launching of the “Junk VFA Movement.”

Evelyn Ursua also said that her client, who was given the name “Nicole,” also terminated her services.

Quoting “Nicole’s” mother, Ursua said her client left for the US last week and would stay there “for good.”

Ursua said “Nicole’s” mother also explained the reason behind the termination of her services, saying her daughter and the family were “tired of the case and do not want anymore to be bothered by it because 'there is no justice in the Philippines.'"

Ursua has been “Nicole’s” counsel since February 2006, a year after the Filipina accused Lance Corporal Daniel Smith of raping her in Subic, a former American military facility.

Smith was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to up to 40 years in prison. But his detention at the US embassy has sparked controversy and gave rise to calls for the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement, which the US government has cited in justifying its action.

The VFA governs the conduct of US and Filipino troops in joint exercises dubbed “Balikatan” (shoulder-to-shoulder).

Ursua said “Nicole’s” mother gave her a letter signed by her client informing her that her services were no longer needed and that she wanted "all other cases arising from or related" to the rape case dropped.

Ursua said she tried to call “Nicole” but was inaccessible.

Ursua said she could not confirm the veracity of the contents of the letter, which the lawyer said, also thanked her "for all the time and effort that you have devoted in the prosecution of the case."

"While I have ceased to be Nicole's lawyer, I, as a citizen who loves this country, remain committed to the cause of obtaining justice in Nicole's case and putting an end to the iniquitous Visiting Forces Agreement," said Ursua.

"The 'Nicole' that and the other lawyers represented was beyond the woman that Nicole and her family thought she was. 'Nicole' is every Filipino woman who was and will be raped by American soldiers. ‘Nicole’ can happen again. And so the fight against the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the presence of US troops in the country must continue," Ursua said.

In a press conference, Senator Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal said that “perhaps there was a deal [that was] too good to refuse,” reacting to “Nicole's” decision to terminate her lawyer's services.