Subic Bay
The U.S. Subic Bay Naval Base, along with the nearby Clark Air Base, were the two largest overseas military installations of the United States Armed Forces until they closed in 1991 and 1992 following the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinutubo. My family, through my wife, has connections to Subic Bay and that is what brings me here today. The military arm of the empire left town over 30 years ago and all is seemingly well now.
As I've written previously, I no longer think of the U.S. based empire as the free world, and I guess that most of the world feels similarly. Skepticism runs high in the West itself, not to mention in the outright adversaries. Former colonies such as the Philippines present an interesting perspective.Here are some observations from my one month stay here in the Philippines:
Nobody I've met here thinks about geopolitical events in Europe, including Russia/Ukraine, or in the Middle East.
As most people here speak English to some extent, the Philippines is doing well in the global economy through expatriate workers, call centers, and tourism. Though dwarfed by India, the Philippines is in the second tier of the world's largest English speaking countries with a population of over 100 million. The American colonial and neo-colonial heritage is also a big help in this regard.
The economic and cultural influence of China is also very large in the Philippines. The richest Filipino businessmen are ethnic Chinese (including Chinese mestizos). China is the Philippines’ largest trading partner, export destination, and source of imports.
My tentative conclusion is that the Philippines, in 2024, earns most of its foreign currency in the U.S. centered global economy, while spending most of that money in China and other parts of East Asia.
Cold War II is kicking up again here, with the political and media elite leaning in the direction of the U.S. empire. The hot issue is fishing rights in the South China Sea, although there is long-standing resentment below the surface against Chinese merchants and money lenders as well as against U.S. neocolonial perquisites.
Culturally, the Philippines is a fascinating mixture of Confucian values, Spanish Catholic/maschismo tradition, and American modernism and mass media. Filipino nationalism is especially pronounced as a reaction to the minority status of Filipino foreign workers in the global economy. American style freedom and democracy is taken for granted and with a grain of salt, but woke culture has made a significant impact.
Putting this all together, I'd say the Philippines has broken loose from its neocolonial heritage and is enjoying its newfound wealth and status afforded by the U.S. centered global economy. Yet the strength of China and its cultural and geographical proximity makes it unlikely that the Philippines will enthusiastically agree to sanctions against perceived enemies of the West. Even the Islamic world shares an invigorated brotherhood with the Philippines, as Filipino workers, including many in my extended family, share a kinship due their time as foreign workers in Saudia Arabia and the Emirates. The "free world" is not a thing here, and I think the U.S. would be better off trying to stick to specific issues rather pushing our fading ideological world view.
