Posted on 02/15/2021 5:05:14 PM PST by DIRTYSECRET
MANILA (Reuters) - The United States is providing the Philippines with military aid that amounts to "loose change" compared to other Asian countries, a top government spokesman said on Monday, supporting demands by President Rodrigo Duterte for Washington to pay more. Duterte said last week the United States should pay more if it wants to maintain the two-decade old Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which he unilaterally cancelled last year in an angry response to an ally being denied a U.S. visa.
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No
Kinda reminds me of Pakistan-1979. Soviets invade Afghanistan, Jimmy Carter sends 2 billion(could be wrong) and the Pakistan strongman calls it peanuts. Just what do we owe these ungrateful folks?
We should be making plans to take the PI BEFORE the Chinese.
No tribute, just save their asses, like in 1944/5.
Why do we pay them? They should be paying us to keep a big presence there. If we pull out, guess who will be moving in, and quickly.
Let them wonder how much less money will be in their countries economy if we are not there.
This doesn’t even consider what might change with their strained relationship with the red China across the way from them.
They are ingrates.....
Should the Philippines thank the USA for their independence? I wonder how many Amercans died there and near there in WW2?
The answer is to get all these Asian nations to work together to adequately defend themselves against the big bully-China. They have a lot more at stake. Sounds like an attitude of ‘you go first’. ‘Let uncle Sam deal with it’. If the issue is money Biden will give it to them. If it military might we’ll find out who the chumps are.
Open land for a base, restore rights to the existing base, open your waters to all US shipping or learn to speak Chinese.
The math isn’t that hard.
Open land for a base, restore rights to the existing base, open your waters to all US shipping or learn to speak Chinese.
The math isn’t that hard.
As Chinese people become more prosperous, they need slave labor. Control of the South China Sea is a big bonus. Duterte, like previous corrupt leaders, cares only about his own personal enrichment. He will sell his country and people to Xi, and China will tighten its grip on the South China Sea.
At least he knew how to deal with drug dealers.
I seem to recall that they wanted us out of Subic Bay because they thought they were going to get a pre-built port ready for massive commercial shipping. Did I remember this correctly?
Just finished a fun series called Almost Paradise.
Filmed in the Philippines.
He did know how to stop repeat offenders.
Yep. Been back there a couple times since the base was converted to the "Subic Bay Freeport Zone". It's nothing special. Olongapo was supposed to become a modern city, tourism was going to boom. Didn't really happen as expected.
You did indeed. The problem was that the Chinese have their own shipyards and they pay pennies compared to what the Filipinos were asking. The guys in Olongapo - I knew a couple - saw it coming but the guys in Manila thought it would be free money.
Dutarte wants the American to pay for the privilege of protecting him. That didn't work on Trump and I don't think Beijing Joe's paymasters will allow it.
Screw the PI. Guam is right there. As long as it don’t flip over we are good.
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