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U.S., Philippines discuss wider U.S. military presence

11 Comments
By JIM GOMEZ

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11 Comments
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The PI kicked us out and thanks to China we are asked to come back. Good job.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

I'm sure all the working girls will be happy. Just like those who came to Japan. Get a boyfriend, get pregnant, get married, get your residency.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Unbelievable.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The Philippines is weak militarily compared to China. They need help to defend themselves against Chinese aggression.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

They need/want us back? You don't say.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Economics undoubtedly plays a part in this. There are a lot of "entertainers" who need "audiences" to make a living.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

All the Filipino “left wing activists” I know personally are either college students or professors, live in a major urban center like Manila or Cebu City, come from financially stable backgrounds and are totally out of touch with the daily struggle for survival that the majority of Filipinos face.

At its height the American military presence in the Philippines, was an absolute boon to an amazing number of regular people there. Thousands of skilled and unskilled workers were directly employed by the US military and many thousands more relied on the money spent by American service personnel for their livelihood. When the US shut down its big bases it was a financial catastrophe for a whole lot of people, but not the urban intelligentsia that was clamoring for the US to get out.

I remember a while back when the Philippine and American governments announced that US military personnel were deploying to the Philippines to assist in counter-insurgency training and infrastructure repair. I was passing through Manila, at the time, on my way south to Mindanao. In Manila, I had the opportunity to witness a demonstration by a group of young college students who were railing against the US and especially the US military. They were waving banners and chanting anti American slogans, it was a real “Yankee Go Home!!” moment. One thing that impressed me was how well dressed and apparently well fed the demonstrators were. Upon my arrival in southern Mindanao I was met with a much different scene. There were banners and homemade signs alright, but they said things like “Welcome home Joe”, “We love you” and stuff like that. These people were getting murdered by groups like the Abu Sayaf, their infrastructure was in shambles and their local economy was in collapse. For the most part, they appeared ecstatic at the prospect of the US coming in and cleaning things up.

I mentioned the demonstration I saw in Manila to a friend of mine that lives in the region and he said “screw those snobs; they don’t give a crap about us.” That seemed to be the mood of just about everyone I talked to. Especially the GROs.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

This could be Okinawa in the future if we were to shut down all U.S. bases in Okinawa. I wouldn't mind seeing the former Clark AB re-open but I doubt that would happen. Was just down there and the place is in shambles. Too bad we ever left.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Kuya 808, the "left wing" you have mentioned is not so big difference with those people who started the Peoples Power to oust the Marcos regime. Look who owns the big part of the country...Cojuangco, Aquino, Lopez, Aboitiz etc. relatives and friends of the late lady President Cory Aquino who replaced Marcos.

The American bases before really covers a big part of the Country, it is only right that the Filipinos makes use of it. However, it should also be considered that the Americans provides support in times like this, China aggression.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Now that the foreign targets in the Middle East are fast disappearing and becoming hard to come by a new hunting ground appears suddenly in the Philippines thanks no doubt to the Philippine Government. You asked for it!

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Bataan and Corrigidor, here we come. Hope history doesn't repeat itself, 'cause I don't think MacArthur can return from the dead.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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