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The Philippines Anchors Itself in Asia

MANILA--Philippine arguments for retaining U.S. military bases were always compelling.

Subic Bay naval base and Clark air force base employed about 65,000 people and created jobs for many more. Their payrolls accounted for a chunk of gross national product. Washington paid hundreds of millions of dollars a year in rent, by another name, for the installations. The government, though facing serious insurgency, spent less than surrounding countries on defense. Above all, public opinion consistently favored the Americans remaining.