Quote:
Originally Posted by The Lord
And d most interesting news catch of d day!!
Manila wants to host US troops
WASHINGTON: Two decades after evicting American forces from their biggest base in the Pacific, the Philippines is now seeking to get the United States to expand its military presence there, in its latest strategic move aimed at countering a rising China. Officials from both nations are negotiating a possible agreement that could see US Navy ships operating from the Philippines, or American troops deployed on a rotational basis - sending a strong signal to China that the US has quick-response capability in its backyard.
what does this signify for us?
1) more bars like yesteryear?
2) more mesticoz?
3) wish ermita/malate goes back to its glorious days.... If not atleast AC goes back to its glorious days.
One thing is for certain with the US military coming in, the bar scene will change.
Newer locales may open up
And we have CHINA to thank.
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My thoughts but I feel the reality is the following:
1) The Philippine gov't will never allow the US military to get the type of bases they had before. The gov't today is all about control and the overall size of the former US bases and what went on in and around the bases showed who was really in control (Hint: it was not the PI govt)
2) Today the overall feeling in PI has become more a moral issue and many in the gov't had been willing to sacrifice a big cut in underhanded bribes and let many establishments and bars close down. Mayor Lim and what he did to Manila is a good example. Cheonging paradise one day and cheonging wasteland today. For those that have been to AC long enough, some will already notice that is happening here too.
3) The US will almost certainly mandate with all the millions or billions $ given to PI gov't that there will crackdowns and suppression of sex outlets to maintain a higher moral outlook for a good impression for the housewifes watching or hearing of PI news at home in the US. Washington don't want to hear from all the angry housewives or liberal women about how their taxes are promoting brothels.
4) Even today, the US gov't and all the funding from NCO Christian groups and other toody-good doers with all their billions in grants and loans to foreign gov'ts have resulted in the way those gov't have treated their own sex outlets. It like if you want our money then you have to do things MY WAY.
Brief history: For those unfamilar with me, I use to be a long time cheongster in Cambodia at the same time I was frequently going to AC so I do have something to compare with. I started there over 10 years ago and believe me that there were locations in Cambo that rivals AC in the good old days. Only difference was that everything in Cambo was much much cheaper. We are talking about taking out a gal LT for $3 to 5 US dollars(I will use the US currency as that is "almost " official currency used in Cambo). and no such thing as LDs or BFs or even tipping. Starting about 5 years ago, as the money starting pouring into Cambo for humanitary aid the US gov't started putting in more demands and slowly each year the bars and brothels started closing with more and more raids and crackdowns (see the trend?)
Today Cambo has become a ghosttown for sex and many sites have gone underground with only the locals knowing where and since it has now become more "secret", guess what, the price for those secret locations have skyrocketed for a crappy sex experience. That's the reasons I no longer visit Cambo anymore.
So, although the US "may" one again set up shop in PI., sadly it will never be like it was before
and with the failing US economy and US military spending to be cut in half and the very fact that the US military was almost deported out of PI over 15 yrs ago, I truly doubt the US will be stupid enough to invest and spend all that money to once again establish a huge 1st class modern permanent base just so that the PI gov't can come in and take it over later when the political atmosphere changes again. Setting up a Military outpost will be more like it.
Sorry for the long thoughts on this matter.
Cheers
PT