US Military Presence in Philippines Increases with Celebration for Subic Bay Reactivation

US Military Presence in Philippines Increases with Celebration for Subic Bay Reactivation

NBC News

Victoria Solis.

As May 24th approaches, so do the preparations for the annual Filipino-American Celebrations. This year the celebrations fall on Memorial Day as a way to commemorate the reactivation of the Subic Bay naval base in the Philippines, outside of Manilla.

Amongst the growing number of members from the Filipino community, the celebration plans are attracting many other guests to the area, including a large turnout of WWII Veterans, the American Ambassador Phillip S. Goldberg, and others from around the world, including U.S. Head of Pacific Command Adm. Samuel Locklear and the Filipino Chief of Foreign Affairs.

The celebration will also be highlighting the 16th Anniversary of the US-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement. The Visiting Forces Agreement is a bilateral treaty that clarifies the terms and conditions under which the U.S.’s military is controlled in foreign nations such as the Philippines. Events will be held throughout the weekend to promote the union between the two nations and promote a cultural celebration of both.

The mission of the annual Filipino-American Celebrations are to strengthen the relationship between the two nations, considering the increasing U.S. military presence in the Philippines.

The final day of the weekend-long celebrations will end with a ceremony honoring past veterans and the official reactivation of the naval base.  The signing of the The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement by President Obama in April allows U.S. forces and contractors to operate at Subic Bay in the Philippines for at least 10 years.

The new AEDC  will support and defend the operations in the Philippines. The “Access Agreement” portion of the AEDC would allow the United States Navy to dispatch more ships to the Subic Bay bases, as well as store supplies that would be useful in case a crisis were to arise.

This Memorial Day weekend reinforces the bond between the Philippines and the United States. By attracting a large number of visitors to the Filipino-American Celebrations, in addition to the reopening of the Subic Bay bases, will provide a boost in economy for residents in the area. Through the planned reopening of Subic Bay, the American military will also be able to assist the military in the Philippines to establish more sound and organized military practices, especially at sea in it’s current disputes with China.