Way back in December 1991 the Philippine senate voted for the withdrawal of the United States Naval Base in Subic Bay, Zambales by the end of 1992, which ended a vast American military presence that began with the capture of the islands from Spain in 1898.. Senators namely the late Senate President Jovito Salonga, Senator. Wigberto Tanada, Teofisto Guingona, Rene Saguisag, Victor Ziga, Sotero Laurel, Ernesto Maceda, and Agapito Aquino who stood firm, in signing a resolution calling for the rejection of the US military presence in our country. For the reasons of that the old bases treaty was forged after World War II and covered the Clark Air Base, Subic Naval Base and several other smaller ones(that to include Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal which the Chinese now Claiming ) and being a storage facilities for its weapons of mass destruction, even possibly nuclear weapons ( which we can selectively disallow).
The late President Corazon C. Aquino has called a new treaty to be hammered between the Philippines and the United States. And called her supporters to join a march on the Senate to convince the lawmakers of the possibilities of political and national risks might our country is facing by voting against the American bases presence in our country. President Aquino even threatened to invoke Republic Act 6735, also known as the Initiatives and Referendum Law. This act empowers the people to oppose directly, enact, approve or reject any law passed by any legislative body through a referendum if 10% of the country’s registered voters petitioned to do so.
The benefits that our country can enjoys if the American bases remains in the Philippines are aside from the Military security against foreign threats like what the Chinese are doing now is the $203 million in annual payments under the lease agreement that the US is paying, the Subic naval base is worth additional hundreds of millions of dollars through product import each year to the Philippine economy and thousands of jobs (that to include postitution in Olangapo, well thats their choice) . The Subic Naval base was well documented how important these military bases in the Philippines as for the U.S. defense and military strategy in the Asia Pacific. They served as refueling stations of U.S. warplanes and warships ( which was been proven during the Vietnam war). It also serves as a launching pads for attacks in the Middle East and other areas of the world, training centers for American troops. The Navy Exchange had the largest volume of sales of any exchange in the world, and the Naval Supply Depot handled the largest volume of fuel oil of any navy facility in the world. The naval base was the largest overseas military installation of the United States Armed Forces after Clark Air Base in Angeles City Pampanga.
At one time, because of the need to confront the Soviet Union and China, the American military presence in the Philippines was deemed vital to American strategic interests. But even so the American bases presence in our country was expelled, even there is a clear and present danger, that one day our country will be threatened by other countries such as China. Before the US bases was expelled, China is very silent on their claim in Spratly island and in Scarborough shoal. There are no noticeable issues in the region. China knows that the Philippines is incapable of defending its territory.
Forget it !.. if you think that, what if we can still reconsider those mistakes, because we cannot. Just 20 years ago, the Philippines was the centerpiece of U.S. military strategy in the Asia Pacific. After the Philippine Senate's decision to jettison U.S. forces from the country, altered the geostrategic military calculus for the U.S., and dramatically impacted the perceived importance of the Philippines for the U.S. military. Since then, Guam has become a focal point, as have the military bases elsewhere in Asia. The former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said, "We obviously cannot stay where we are not wanted, and we won't." The reconsideration means more money. So I called these territorial security problem that our country is facing now against China and with other countries who are claiming our national territories is our National Karma.