America’s Return to the Philippines Makes Sense
A new agreement to allow the US access to more military bases will help counter China’s influence and stabilize the region.
The USS Blue Ridge in Manila Bay, March 2019.
Photographer: NOEL CELIS/AFPWhen I was a junior officer in the Navy during the Cold War, I spent a great deal of time in the Western Pacific. I regularly pulled into Subic Bay Naval Station and its associated Cubi Point Naval Air Station — which, along with the even larger Clark Air Force Base to the north, made the Philippines the US military’s central hub in the Pacific. Thousands of Philippine citizens served in the US Navy, and we felt a strong bond with the country.
At the same time, when I got off the bases — walking the crowded streets of Manila, say, or taking a break in the beautiful highlands near Baguio — I could sense the ambivalence about our presence. More than 30 years ago, the US was asked to leave its former colony, and we departed with regret.