I wouldn’t mind a night or two in “po” city ... if only to remember the old times ... when the streets weren’t paved
Maybe in new Jolo’s or in the Subic Bay club in Subic City
I have some bad news for you. The alligator died.
I do recall having my picture taken in front of the Christian Science Reading Room just off Magsaysay and Rizal, but I don't think anybody back home was fooled.
The idea after we were told to leave was that the Filipino contractors who ran Subic would be able to convert it into a major refit center for the Chinese ship traffic that was, at the time, doubling in size every few months. Unstated was the hope that they'd be able to charge the Chinese the same rates the U.S. was paying. The Chinese did it cheaper for themselves.
It's a great port, and it was a great shipyard (last time I was there, which was a LONG time ago now). We left some excellent and very expensive equipment - cranes, storage facilities, etc - and it could have been a gold mine, and maybe it still can, but it won't be by the Filipino Senate snapping their fingers and the U.S. Navy and Air Force coming running like pet poodles.