I'm not talking about just the bases. I'm also referring to us giving up the entire archipelago, as from 1898 to 1946 it was U.S. territory. When it became independent it was a U.S. Commonwealth, with the same status as Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands have today, one step away from potential statehood. The US did not wish to defend the islands against the Japanese in the war we knew was coming, and since the conflict was predicted to begin in the mid to late 1940s, we agreed to give them independence in 1946. When the war came and we won, we did not alter that agreement or cancel it, so the archipelago became independent. I think that was a bad move.
IMO US intent to grant PH independence more or less started under W. Wilson, who was anti-immigrant and pro-decolonization. He also supported Irish independence from UK.
The Jones Law (akaa Philippine Autonomy Act) of 1916 specified that PH would be granted independence as soon as a stable government can be established. This was supposed to occur by 1921 but dragged on to 1934, when the US finally agreed to a 10-year deadline with Tydings-McDuffe Act, which specified that PH would transition to full independence by 1944, which was again delayed due to WW2 until declaration of the 3rd PH Republic in 1946.
On issue of US bases, earlier this year I visited PH and meet an ex-PH Senator at a wedding. He was among those who voted against US occupation of the bases, because (according to him) the US refused to pay fair market value lease for the territory, and treated the PH negotiation team in a disrespectful manner. Had the US been willing to pay fair market value lease for the land, he would not have objected to the US bases there.
He also thinks that the "real Taiwanese" are the original inhabitants who were really Philippinos, those who claim to be Taiwanese today are really Chinese immigrants. He supports Taiwan independence and thinks PH government should adopt that stance, and also the US military bases in PH would've worked toward that goal (militarily protecting Taiwan as an independent state).
Quite an interesting character. He asked what I thought of the security situation in PH and I mentioned election violence, he insists that in PH they only fight with words, unlike "barbaric Chinese politicians" in Taiwan legislative Yuan fighting with their fists. Since he was an elderly host I didn't think it'd have been polite to point out that election violence in PH made the country the 2nd most dangerous place to be a politician, after Iraq. :rofl:
As for the current Islamist insurgency, this is partly due to the Catholic colonization of what was previously Muslim areas (Palawan, Mindanao, etc.). Basically you have a group of marginalized and very pissed off people. Since this is a military forum I'll stop right here. Anyone who's interested in that part of the world can easily find tons of info online.
