Erap, Enrile honored for rejecting US military bases in Phl

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines – Former President Joseph Estrada and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile will be given commendations along with 10 other former senators who rejected the renewal of US military bases in the country 20 years ago.

The awarding will be held at the Club Filipino on Friday, in time for the 20th anniversary of the historic Senate vote on Sept. 16, 1991.

The other awardees are former senators Wigberto Tañada, Ernesto Maceda, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Victor Ziga, Teofisto Guingona Jr., Rene Saguisag, Agapito Aquino, Orlando Mercado, the late Sotero Laurel, and then Senate president Jovito Salonga.

Eleven of their colleagues voted for bases retention.

“We must always remember them for their contribution to our national sovereignty,” said Red Constantino of the Constantino Foundation. “If the 12 senators did not make a stand against US bases in 1991, the country will never see the fruit of sovereignty.”

He said that as of last year, the former US military bases, since been converted into free ports, have earned over $50 billion in revenues, compared to the promised $200 million annual assistance of the US to the Philippines.

Earlier, Felicito Payumo, chairman of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), said that over 120,000 Filipino workers are now employed in the two free ports and more will be employed outside.

This is due to investments that mushroomed outside the two major free ports since the opening of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) that links them and the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac.

Payumo disclosed that a Laguna-based solar power manufacturer is looking forward to establishing a plant at the Bataan Technology Park in Morong town.

The Bataan Technology Park is just outside the Subic Bay Freeport, about 30 minutes’ drive from the Clark Freeport via SCTEX.

Payumo said another electronic manufacturing company has broken ground at the nearby Hermosa town, also in Bataan.

Both companies, he said, will open more than 3,000 new job opportunities.

“There are others that expressed interest in establishing plants in Porac-Floridablanca area, and near Hacienda Luisita,” Payumo said.

He said that converting Subic and Clark Field into free port zones has become a model for other countries.

“As far as conversion of former military bases, ours has become a model throughout the world,” he said, adding that there are former military bases within the United States that were converted into industrial areas but failed.

As major US military bases, Subic served the naval forces of the United States, while the former Clark Field was used as an airbase. Both military bases were abandoned by the United States in 1991 when Mount Pinatubo erupted, but the Philippine government converted it into free ports and linked them with the SCTEX in the hope that both will become international logistics hubs in Asia.