United States bases in the Philippines

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US Bases in the Philippines were established after the conclusion of World War II and the recognition of Philippine independence by the US. This article summarizes the collective history of those bases. See detail articles linked below for further information on individual bases and other relevant subtopics.

Establishment

General Douglas MacArthur, President Osmeña, and staff land at Palo, Leyte on October 20, 1944.
  • On October 20, 1944, the Commonwealth government returned to the Philippines as President Sergio Osmeña returned to the Philippines with the U.S. Sixth Army as the U.S. Philippines campaign to liberate the Philippines began.
  • On March 26, 1947, a Military Bases Agreement (MBA) between the Philippines and the U.S. concerning military bases entered into force. That agreement was to remain in force for 99 years and granted the right to retain the use of the following bases, with some restrictions:[3]
  • Clark Field Air Base, Pampanga;
  • Fort Stotsenberg, Pampanga;
  • Mariveles Military Reservation, POL Terminal and Training Area, Bataan
  • Camp John Hay Leave and Recreation Center, Baguio;
  • An Army Communication System with the deletion of all stations in the Port of Manila Area.
  • United States Armed Forces Cemetery No. 2, San Francisco del Monte, Rizal.[a]
  • Leyte-Samar Naval Base including shore installations and air bases;
  • Subic Bay, Northwest Shore Naval Base, Zambales Province, and the existing Naval reservation at Olongapo and the existing Baguio Naval Reservation;
  • Tawi Tawi Naval Anchorage and small adjacent land areas;
  • Cañacao-Sangley Point Navy Base, Cavite Province.
  • Bagobantay Transmitter Area, Quezon City, and associated radio receiving and control sites, Manila Area;
  • Tarumpitao Point (Loran Master Transmitter Station), Palawan;
  • Talampulan Island, Coast Guard No. 354 (Loran), Palawan;
  • Naule Point (Loran Station), Zambales;
  • Castillejos, Coast Guard No, 356, Zambales.
That agreement also specified that the Philippine government would permit the U.S/, upon notice, to use such of the following bases as the U.S. determined that to be required by military necessity:
  • Mactan Island Army and Navy Air Base;
  • Florida Blanca Air Base, Pampanga;
  • Aircraft Service Warning Net;
  • Camp Wallace, San Fernando, La Union;
  • Puerto Princesa Army and Navy Air Base, including Navy Section Base and Ai;
  • Warning Sites, Palawan;
  • Tawi Tawi Naval Base, Sulu Archipelago;
  • Aparri Naval Air Base.

During the postwar era

  • In 1958, the US relinquished the Manila Military Port area, the only remaining American military installation in Manila
  • In 1959, the Bohlen-Serrano Agreement shortened base leaseholds from 99 to 25 years, terminated US control over Olongapo,[5] and limited US military holdings to a few minor installations and four major bases: Clark Air Base in Pampanga, two main naval bases at Sangley Point in Cavite and Subic Bay in Zambales, and recreational Camp John Hay in Baguio City. With this agreement, the leasehold termination date changed from 2046 to 1991, with renewal options.[5]

During the Marcos dictatorship

Main article: Military history of the Philippines during the Marcos dictatorship
See also: First Quarter Storm

The US Bases became a political issue in the Philippines during the late 1960s, which saw a resurgence of Filipino nationalism, especially among students.[6] The presence of the bases became rallying points in the First Quarter Storm protests of January to March 1970, alongside the deployment of Filipino troops to the Vietnam War[6] and the economic strain caused by the 1969 Philippine balance of payments crisis and Marcos' debt-driven spending in the leadup to the 1969 presidential campaign[7][8][9]

In 1979, the Military Bases Agreement was substantially altered in many areas in direct response to growing Filipino popular criticism. A Philippine commander was designated at each base but the US retained operational command over U.S. facilities located there, substantially reducing areas directly under US control. The issue of compensation was also addressed for the first time with the U.S. agreeing to pay $500 million for a five-year period. This increased to $900 million in 1983 for the next five years.[5]

Closure

A Marine color guard stands at attention during the deactivation ceremony for Naval station, Subic Bay.

From 1988 to 1992, the US government and Philippine government tried to renegotiate the terms of an extension of the military bases at Subic and Clark, as the MBA of 1947, which was due to expire. Intense negotiations between the governments of the United States and the Philippines began. These negotiations resulted in the US proposing a Treaty of Friendship, Peace and Cooperation that would have extended their stay for another ten years, and its rejection by the Philippine Senate..[10] Another bone of contention was the amount of money that the US government would pay to the Philippine government for the lease and use of the bases.[11] In July 1991, the U.S. and Philippine negotiators agreed to a new treaty regarding the lease of the Subic Bay Naval Base, Clark, and several other U.S. military installations in the Philippines.[12] The Philippine Senate rejected this extension of the MBA on 16 September 1991. On 26 November 1991, the U.S. government formally turned Clark over to the Philippine government,[13] which transformed the airfield into Clark International Airport. The Subic Bay Naval base was deactivated in 1992. These were the two largest U.S. military bases in the Philippines at the time. The other US bases were deactivated in this same time period, and the U.S. military presence in the Philippines came to an end.

The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement

Main article: Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement

On April 28, 2014, the Philippines and the US signed The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). effective for a period of ten years, and thereafter unless terminated by either Party by giving one year's written notice. This agreement allows for U.S. forces and contractors to operate out of "agreed locations", defined as "facilities and areas that are provided by the Government of the Philippines through the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)".[14]

In April 2015, the United States government asked for access to eight bases in the Philippines, including the formerly American Subic Bay Naval Base, and Clark Air Base, as well as locations in Luzon, Cebu, and Palawan.[15]

On 19 March 2016, the Philippines and the United States government agreed on 5 locations of military bases for the American troops under the EDCA:[16]

In November 2022, the Philippine Department of National Defense released a statement saying, "The Department is committed to accelerate the implementation of the Edca by concluding infrastructure enhancement and repair projects, developing new infrastructure projects at existing Edca locations, and exploring new locations that will build a more credible mutual defense posture".[17]

On 2 February 2023, four additional locations of military bases were designated under the EDCA.[18] On 3 April 2023, the locations of the four new EDCA sites were announced:[19]

The governors of Isabela and Cagayan, which together host three of the bases, expressed dismay at the agreement, stating they had not been consulted on the sites and did not want their provinces to pay too much for the infrastructure improvements or become potential targets of Chinese nuclear attack.[20]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Manila #2 Cemetery was disinterred and moved to the AGRS Mausoleum at Nichols Field beginning in the fall of 1947 and continuing through July 1948.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Statement: President Roosevelt upon signing S. J. Resolutions Nos. 93 and 94, June 29, 1944"date=June 29, 1944". Official Gazette of the Government of the Philippines.
  2. ^ "The Ambassador in the Philippines (McNutt) to the Secretary of State". Office of the historian, U.S. Department of State. December 23, 1946.
  3. ^ "AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONCERNING MILITARY BASES". U.S. Supreme Court elibrary. December 19, 1947.
  4. ^ "U.S. Casualties and Burials at Cabanatuan POW Camp #1". U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. n.d. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c "U.S. BASES IN THE PHILIPPINES: A FOREIGN POLICY PARADOX" (PDF). U.S. Army War College. March 1, 1991.
  6. ^ a b "A History of the Philippine Political Protest". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on July 5, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  7. ^ Balbosa, Joven Zamoras (1992). "IMF Stabilization Program and Economic Growth: The Case of the Philippines" (PDF). Journal of Philippine Development. XIX (35).
  8. ^ Cororaton, Cesar B. "Exchange Rate Movements in the Philippines". DPIDS Discussion Paper Series 97-05: 3, 19.
  9. ^ Diola, Camille. "Debt, deprivation and spoils of dictatorship | 31 years of amnesia". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  10. ^ Lucero Gonzalez, Joaquin (1998). Philippine Labour Migration: Critical Dimensions of Public Policy. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 36. ISBN 9789812300119. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  11. ^ Olson, Wyatt (29 June 2013). "Recounting US military's last days in the Philippines". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  12. ^ Broder, John M. (18 July 1991). "U.S. Reaches Accord With Manila, Will Leave Clark Air Base : Philippines: Volcano causes abandonment of field. But Americans will keep Subic Naval Base for 10 years". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  13. ^ Drogin, Bob (27 November 1991). "After 89 Years, U.S. Lowers Flag at Clark Air Vase". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
  14. ^ David E. Sanger, "Philippines Orders U.S. to Leave Strategic Navy Base at Subic Bay" The New York Times, December 28, 1991
  15. ^ "US seeks access to Philippine bases as part of Asia pivot". Sydney Morning Herald. Australia. Reuters. April 25, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  16. ^ "U.S., Philippines announce five military bases for EDCA". CNN Philippines. 19 March 2016. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  17. ^ "US allots $66.5 million for construction of facilities in 3 Edca sites for 2023 — DND". Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 15, 2022.
  18. ^ "U.S., Philippines Add Four More Sites to EDCA Military Basing Agreement". USNI News. 2 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Palace unveils 4 new EDCA sites". CNN Philippines. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  20. ^ Wee, Sui-Lee; Elemia, Camille (February 20, 2023). "With an Eye on China, Philippines Moves Closer to U.S. Interests". The New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2023.

Further reading

External links

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