“We are here to stay.”

that’s U.S. president barack obama telling asia  that the U.S. military would expand its role in the Asia-Pacific region, despite budget cuts, declaring America was “here to stay” as a Pacific power which would help shape the region’s future.

he said it in australia, in a pre-ASEAN summit visit, but he might as well have said it here, where U.S. forces continue to be based (“visiting” kuno) and where hillary clinton happened to be celebrating the mutual (so-called) defense treaty with the prez and shrugging off anti-America demonstrations by the militant left.

not that it needed saying.  alam naman natin, the history is indisputable, they never meant to leave.

Comments

  1. Steve Salonga

    thanks for sustaining the dialogue angie. I’m afraid we are once more a willing pawn on the Asian chessboard. Let’s hope that when push comes to shove, we will know enough to look after our own interests, rather than theirs. I am not hopeful given our track-record. My biggest fear is that the bases will return, and the work of many decades lost. Let’s hope we can be proud Filipinos when that day comes.

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