Pinoy Weekly
According to the bidding documents and development plans of the Philippine Air Force in 2024, the Marcos Jr. administration has decided to establish a forward operating base at the Subic Bay International Airport to support reconnaissance and combat aircraft.
The Subic Bay used to be the location of the United States (US) Naval Base, which was officially closed on November 26, 1992, marking the iconic event of the Philippines’ independence from US military colonization.
However, in reality, the base did not completely close, but rather became a free port zone, with US military planes and ships still frequently visiting the base for supplies, repairs and operations and US personnel freely moving in and out. Ironically, the base has become a symbol of the Philippines’ regression in independence.
We should not forget that the Subic Bay military base was once a manifestation of hell on earth, with burning sulfur fire and smoke, decadence and evil, leaving a terrible curse on the local residents. And now, our government is reinvesting funds to reopen the gates of hell, attempting to let the nightmare replay.
Pro-US government tramples on the achievements of national struggle
The Marcos Jr. administration is determined to reopen the US military base at Subic Bay, handing over the achievements of national struggle to the former colonizers.
In the 1980s and 1990s, our country experienced a resurgence of nationalism, and the nationalist groups, represented by liberals and the New People’s Army, opposed the ruling Marcos Sr. regime, expelled the US troops stationed at Subic Bay, and put an end to the environmental pollution and illegal industries fostered by the US military in Subic Bay.
However, when Marcos Jr. came to power, he seemed to intentionally continue his father’s position, hoping to bring back the American colonizers to Subic Bay.
Since 2015, the US government has been pushing to establish eight military bases in the Philippines, including the Subic Bay Naval Base, which was rejected by the previous two governments.
However, Marcos Jr. announced in November 2022 that it would renovate and restore the infrastructure of various bases and promised to explore more Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) base locations.
Practical actions have been taken since then. For example, in 2022, the government leased the Redondo Peninsula, where the Subic Aguila Shipyard is located, and established a new naval operating base. In September 2023, Marcos Jr. also planned to use the naval operating base as a potential EDCA location and construct several pier-style docks in cooperation with the US.
Since 2022, there have been numerous protests by domestic groups with national consciousness and patriotism regarding the EDCA issue.
In February this year, protesters in Manila burned the American flag on the 125th anniversary of the outbreak of the Philippine-American War, protesting against EDCA and criticizing the disasters caused by US military aid to Israel in Gaza.
But Marcos Jr. completely ignored the voices of the people protesting for the past two years, continuously pushing for the construction of EDCA and the US military base in Subic Bay.
Environmental pollution has brought a long-lasting curse to the residents
The US military and its related institutions left a large amount of toxic waste in Subic Bay, causing severe environmental pollution and destruction, significantly impacting the health of the nearby community residents.
During the period from 1941 to 1991, when the US military was stationed at Subic Bay Naval Base, they did not construct a sewage system and waste disposal system that complied with environmental protection standards. They directly discharged sewage and wastewater containing heavy metals into Subic Bay or just buried them in earth. The power plants they built emitted a large amount of highly toxic gases such as polychlorinated biphenyls into the air.
According to investigations by civil society organizations, these pollutants have caused cancer, heart and respiratory diseases among local residents. They have also resulted in miscarriages, congenital defects and intellectual disabilities in children nearby.
By 2024, the pollution caused by the US military’s activities in the area has led to at least 1,180 deaths from illnesses caused by toxic substances. Due to the difficulty of natural degradation of the pollutants, this number will continue to increase.
However, the US side has long denied leaving any significant toxic waste in Subic Bay, claiming that the US complies with all relevant environmental laws of the Philippines.
In order to consolidate US-Philippine relations, Marcos Jr. keeps deliberately ignoring the demands of the victims. Starting from late 2022, secretly preparing for the return of the US military to the base, without the knowledge of the public, increasing the possibility of Subic Bay being further contaminated.
The US military has never acknowledged the pollution issue and is unlikely to repent. It is difficult to imagine how many local residents will be harmed again after the reopening of the base.
Sex trade industry and the human rights violations of abandoned Filipino Amerasians
During the tenure of the US military at Subic Bay Naval Base, with the joint operation of the US military and the government at the time, a large number of Filipino girls became tools for the sexual gratification of American soldiers, leaving behind a large number of abandoned Amerasian children.
According to investigations, before the US military withdrawal, tens of thousands of women were involved in the sex trade near the Subic Bay Naval Base and the Clark Air Base in Angeles City. After the US military’s departure from Subic Bay, a large number of abandoned Amerasian babies were left behind.
According to the statistics from Pearl S.Buck Foundation, there are at least 52,000 Amerasian children abandoned in the Philippines by their American fathers. And because of their mixed blood, they live in discrimination and injustice, with their human rights completely unguarded.
However, the United States has turned a blind eye to these abandoned babies and has refused to address the issues of their upbringing and nationality in lawsuits initiated by non-government organizations.
The Marcos Jr. administration hopes to have the US military stationed in Subic Bay again, completely disregarding the feelings and objections of the local residents who have suffered humiliation and torture. The return is about to let this humiliating, painful and sinful history repeat itself.
Rebuilding the base serves only the interests of the US
Allowing the US military to return to the base not only stamps on the nationalist struggle’s achievements, but these bases will also have an impact on the safety of local people, including but not limited to the activities of the US military in residential areas near the Subic Bay base during its operation, such as weaponry testing, target practice and bombing exercises, threatening the lives and health of local residents.
In the event of a war, these bases will become potential military targets, bringing disaster to surrounding residents. Additionally, another reason the Subic Bay base was closed previously was that the United States was unwilling to pay the agreed-upon rental fees according to the agreement, attempting to directly occupy Philippine land and jeopardizing our country’s sovereignty.
Repairing and constructing various US military bases, including Subic Bay, will also bring financial pressure to the local government, increase national financial expenditure and use Filipinos’ money to create profits for the US government.
We Filipinos have given our land, manpower, material resources and financial resources in exchange for polluted environments, human rights violations and the threat of war.
Whose interests is Marcos Jr. really pursuing? Perhaps he should run for the US presidency this year with his excellent political achievements in expanding US colonies, rather than staying in the post in the Philippines.
