AFTER being incarcerated for than three years, United States Marine Daniel Smith, who was convicted in 2006 of raping Suzette Nicolas, aka Nicole, a Filipina, is fi nally free. In fact, he is no longer in the Philippines. The ruling by the Court of Appeals is fi nal, so Smith won’t have to be involved either directly or indirectly with any more court proceedings.
Many have followed this case for their own reasons. Women’s groups have rallied on for the cause of the victim, crying out for better laws on rape and violence against women. Militant groups believed that this is an example of how the US is taking advantage of our people. And with Smith’s acquittal, they now claim that President Macapagal Arroyo colluded with the US to cause this to happen.
But Smith appealed the case, and the CA was supposed to make a decision last year but somehow every judge in charge has been taken off the case. In fact, Nicole recanted her statements about the rape, although the CA said that this did not infl uence their decision to acquit Smith.
Still, is it really over? Because Nicole will have to start her life all over again (as it was reported she has left for the US), while Smith, though acquitted, may still have to face court martial. The case dragged this long while Smith was detained at the US Embassy in Manila, three years of his life went away. Nicole, on the other hand, had to endure scrutiny and judgment of every person who knew about the case. Both parties are now trying to move on, yet for sure, both are still wishing that all of what happened would just go away. (AJPress)
( www.asianjournal.com )
( Published on April 25, 2009 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. A12 )
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