Philippine revisionist history?

There is an interesting AP article out. It is mostly about Six Marines who have accused of raping a Philippine woman. I'm not passing any kind of judgment on this case either way.

What I find interesting is the final two paragraphs.

U.S.-Philippine relations soured in the early 1990s when Philippine senators terminated a treaty allowing U.S forces to keep naval and air bases in the country.

The links were repaired when the Philippine Senate ratified the Visiting Forces Agreement in 1999, allowing U.S. troops to return to the country only for exercises and training.

If US-Philippine relations soured it was the making of the Philippine government, not the US. The US pulled out of Subic Bay and Clark Air Base when our leases ended.(In the case of Clark the base was nearly destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinotaubo) This was after years of clamoring by Philippine politicians and vocal protestors asking for the US to leave the country.

So we left, and alot of people suffered economically for it. See the US was one of the biggest employers in the country. Probably the biggest if you counted the businesses catering to servicemen outside Subic and Clark. So those who got their wish then complained about the economic impact on the country and they say that soured relations. What's the saying about be careful what you wish for?

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