February 15, 2002
ASIA FILE
The return of GI Joe
There were loud protests when the return of American troops to the Philippines was announced, writes Barun Roy
The return of American troops to the Philippines revives memories of the two major erstwhile American military bases in the Pacific arena - the naval base at Subic Bay in Zambales and the Clark air force base in Pampanga, both on the island of Luzon - that came with the American occupation of the country and were extensively used during World War II and the subsequent war against Vietnam. But these are not pleasant memories and most Filipinos would prefer to forget them. The presence of thousands of troops, stationed at the bases or passing through them for rest and recreation, was directly responsible for luring thousands of Filipinas into prostitution and turning Olongapo in Subic, Angeles City outside Clark, and, by extension, Mabini in Manila into the black holes of sex that they had become. Along Subic Bay's Magsaysay Drive grew a collection of nightclubs, bars, brothels, and associated businesses that rivalled any red-light district in the world. Fields Avenue in Angeles City, with its famous go-go bars, became one of the world's best-known sin spots, and there was a time when almost $1 million a day was pouring out of Clark into sustaining the trade in booze and sex. Even young children got drawn into the trade and a venereal disease called Vietnam Rose - which could actually have been a variety of the HIV virus - spread through the populations of the two cities like a scourge. By the time the last American forces left the Philippines in November 1992, ending nearly a century of US military presence in the country, areas surrounding Subic, Clark, and other installations were littered with children born of US servicemen and Filipina sex workers. Over 52,000 Amerasian children are still languishing in orphanages throughout the Philippines in poverty and neglect, officials of the Pearl S Buck International Foundation say. No wonder there were loud protests when the return of American troops was announced, even though their stated purpose is to help fight Muslim terrorists in southern Philippines. One Manila newspaper columnist said the very presence of these troops was offensive. Filipinos have worked hard since the termination of the bases agreement in 1991 to cleanse their society of the ill effects of the American military presence and don't want to revisit their past. Olongapo, 127 km north of Manila, is trying to shake off its "sin city" image and develop as a model leisure-cum-industrial town. It has certainly not gone puritan, but there are no longer any bars or cocktail lounges that cater to single male expats. There's no go-go dancing in Barrio Barretto. On the city's main street, new brick sidewalks have been put in, giving it a spacious, cleaner, and professional look. It has introduced a colour-coded transportation system that makes it easier for visitors to find their destinations. Drivers wear uniforms. The sewage and drainage systems have been extensively refurbished. An integrated solid-waste collection system has been introduced with residents paying to have their garbage collected. New roads are being built to replace the congested dirt tracks of the past, and well-designed new housing complexes have begun to change the city's old crumpled look. The old naval base, a cold war relic and one-time home of the celebrated US 7th Fleet, is now a thriving free port zone and a popular tourist destination. Businesses are starting to blossom inside the gray old military buildings that line the wharves. The zone has its own international airport and Federal Express has made it its Asian hub. Kellog Brown & Root of the US plans to spend $100 million to build a world-class ship repair facility there. Last year, exports from Subic topped $1 billion for the third consecutive year, and almost 7 million tourists visited the place to dive, yacht, golf, hike through its pristine, triple-canopy forests, or simply shop in the zone 's more than a dozen duty-free shops. A 188-hectare leisure estate has come up amid centuries-old Mimosa rain trees with a 27-hole championship golf course. There's already a Las Vegas-style gaming facility and four more are on their way. Once the largest American air base outside the US, Clark today is a special economic zone and a major centre of economic development in central Luzon. Its real ambition is to become an aviation hub for a wide variety of purposes, capitalising on its 3.2 km runway and other facilities. United Parcel Service has already set up its Asia-Pacific hub there and Lockheed has made the place its regional aircraft service centre. The government is now trying to get international airlines to fly directly to Clark, carrying chartered as well as regular passengers on casino junkets and golf vacations. It makes sense because Clark is to be linked by high-speed expressways to both Subic Bay and Manila, only 80 km to the south.
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