'Visit of US senators not part of alleged plans to re-establish bases'

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines  – The US embassy yesterday denied reports that the recent visit of US senators Daniel Inouye and Thad Cochran was part of plans to reestablish the former US military bases in the country.

US embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson said the senators merely wanted to know the progress made in the two former military bases in Clark and Subic since the Americans left. Thompson said the US government “has no plans to re-establish military bases there nor anywhere in the Philippines.”

Thompson denied the reports that the visit of the two senior US lawmakers raised the prospect of the return of US bases at Clark and Subic.

The US military left the bases after the Senate abrogated the Military Bases Agreement, which expired in 1992.  

The two senators flew to Subic and then to Clark last Tuesday.

“Senators Inouye and Cochran visited Clark to see progress there, as the last time Sen. Inouye traveled there was after the (Mt. Pinatubo) volcano’s eruption and devastation,” Thompson said.

She said the senators also visited Subic “to see the economic progress that has been made over the years and to ask how the US can collaborate.”

Former senator Richard Gordon said nothing was mentioned about US military plans in the Philippines during their visit. Gordon was among those who welcomed Inouye and Cochran during the visit to Subic.

“They have not said they want to come back,” Gordon said.

Gordon described Inouye as his friend, as they had both worked hard for the granting of US benefits for Filipino war veterans.

He said that after visiting the Philippines, the two senators flew to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. 

“Would that mean they also intended to put up bases there?” Gordon said. 

“Of course, I find nothing wrong with the US military’s prolonged stay at Subic. US aircraft carriers docking there are welcome to boost local tourism, although I would not object if the Filipino people again decide to allow US military bases in the country. What is wrong with that?” he asked.

Gordon said the two senators merely wanted to find out how the two former US bases have fared since the Americans pulled out.

Clark was abandoned by the US Air Force in 1991 in the face of the pending eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, which drove them to seek refuge in Subic.

American troops later pulled out from Subic after the Philippine Senate voted in 1991 not to renew the Military Bases Agreement with the US.

Inouye, chairman of the US Senate appropriations committee, said he merely wanted to find out whether it is still possible to dock US aircraft carriers at Subic Bay.

Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) vice president for finance Larry Ortille, who was among those who attended the meeting with Inouye and Cochran during their visit here, also said that “all discussions during the meeting covered only economic developments at the airport and the rest of Clark.”

“Nothing military was brought up at all,” Ortille said, adding the two senators were initially given a 10-minute briefing on development at Clark since the Americans left.

Ortille said Inouye seemed impressed and even jokingly asked CIAC president Victor Jose Luciano whether he would be willing to manage the Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington.                       

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III also rejected the prospect of a return of US troops to their former bases here.

“Why? Justify to me,” Osmeña said. 

“Why do we need to increase US troops when we already kicked out the bases? So, we are doing them a favor... when we threw them out they did not want to be thrown out either,” he added.

Gordon added the presence of the US military in the Philippines would not necessarily increase tensions with China.  

While China could indeed overtake the US economy, Gordon said the US will remain much more technologically advanced.

“Of course, we can also welcome Chinese vessels as well as vessels from other countries to dock at our ports,” Gordon said.

Asked if the US move is related to the flexing of muscles of China, which economy has already overtaken Japan as the second largest economy in the world, Osmeña said one would understand the US government’s need to expand its military presence in Asia.

“If I were the US, yes. I would want bases everywhere. But is it to our benefit? We have already made our big debate in 1991 when the Senate voted to throw out the bases. But nothing has happened since then to make us change our mind,” Osmeña said.

Without the US bases here, Osmeña said the Philippine government managed to establish good relations with the US.  

But with China’s growing economy and strength, Osmeña said the Philippine government should not allow itself to be caught in the battle between the two economic and military superpowers.

“We’ve had excellent relations with America since then. So why do we need to host their bases here? We also don’t want to get involved in the fight between two giants,” he said. – With Christina Mendez