Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
THE Philippines and the United States have been in a love-hate, friend-foe relationship from the start. Their armed forces once fought side by side against the Imperial Japanese Army in Bataan and Corregidor Island in one of Second World War's most bitterly contested battles, only to be at odds with each other during the Filipino-American War. They became friends again from the time the US granted the Philippines its independence on June 12, 1898 and, for a time, celebrated the 4th of July each year as Filipino-American Friendship Day.
It turned sour again when the Philippine Senate voted not to renew the Military Bases Agreement that booted out all American military forces from Philippine soil by 1992. While the erstwhile presence of the American bases in the Philippines may not embody the entirety of Filipino-American relations, it is indicative of how Manila was regarded by Washington. While lawmakers concede that the alliance is one of friends with benefits, they are convinced that the Philippines is not getting its fair share in the bargain — particularly with the remuneration that the country receives as against the gains that the US derives in maintaining its bases in the Philippines.
Continue reading with one of these options:
Ad-free access
P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
- Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
- Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)