Converting the U.S. Military Bases in the Philippines
Document Title: Converting the U.S. Military
Bases in the Philippines
Document Ref No: R9005041
First Published: Reflections - Philippine Daily Inquirer
Publication Date: 4th May 1990
Author's Name: Father Shay Cullen SSC
The U.S. Military bases in the Philippines are the most controversial issues
sweeping the Philippines and much of South East Asia these days. Washington, it is presumed, is also interested in the outcome of the preliminary talks
on the bases. The US navy needs the bases to enhance its forward deployment
strategy by which it justifies a huge and expensive carrier fleet. Admirals
and the Navy old-boy net work glorify themselves and exaggerate the glamorous
role of nuclear navy, most of which is unnecessary. Carrier fleets have
no use in war-time as they are huge un-defendable targets for ship to ship
missiles. To admit that the days of a carrier based Navy are past would
be to commit navy prestige and jobs to the dustbin of history. A Navy strategy
centered on aircraft carriers to patrol the world needs forward deployment
bases such as Subic that is why the navy is fighting hard to justify the
need for Subic. But more and more Filipinos are thinking about the feasibility
of conversion.
I became interested in the conversion possibilities of the U.S. Military
bases in 1985, last month I was invited to present proposals for alternative
use to the Joint legislative/executive bases council. They are tasked with
drawing up a base conversion plan. My one hour presentation stretched to
four hours discussion. Here are some of the proposals that might be of interest
to the readers of Plowshare.
Converting the U.S. Navy Magazine to a World University of Ecology.
Situated at the Southwestern point of Subic bay the U.S. navy magazine occupies
over 12,400 acres of virgin tropical rain forest and unspoiled marine environment
intact with mangrove swamps in Triboa bay and many kilometers of coral where
many species of marine life, extinct elsewhere continues to thrive. The
forest contains dense forest where plant, bird and animal life abounds.
This area makes up approximately two-thirds of the entire area of Subic
and has a well developed infrastructure which has left the forest relatively
undamaged.
The navy magazine is primarily a vast storage area but it also has more
sophisticated facilities such as laboratories and workshops which are designed
for missile or rocket maintenance. Some of these are partly underground.
The 200 or so storage buildings and bunkers alone have a floor space that
can store 46,000 tons of material. At Camayan Point alone there are wharfs
that can accommodate the biggest of ships and as many as ten buildings with
a storage space for 3.8 million Cubic feet of ammunition. In a l978 report
the value of the buildings were US$20 million.
The Infrastructure of the naval magazine area infolds about 50 Kilometers
of paved roads, water treatment plant and distribution lines. There are
buried telephone lines linking all of the 200 storage buildings. Three administration
and security buildings are of permanent structure.
On the more northern side of the Magazine is the Cubi Naval station. Beside
the Naval Air station, which I will describe later, Cubi Point is a a small
town in itself. Most noteworthy for the purposes of conversion are the rows
of four storied apartment buildings with individual and two roomed apartments
that can accommodate a conservative estimated three thousand people .
New building in recent years makes it difficult to be accurate and in this
estimation we must take into consideration the marine Quarters at the Mau
camp about three kilometers from Cubi proper on the road leading to the
isolated naval hospital. The Mau camp has three four storied apartment buildings
and about 40 Quonset huts designed to accommodate a marine battalion. This
area includes large kitchens, dining space and recreation facilities. The
large Sky club is is adjacent to the Camp. In Cubi proper besides the apartment
buildings there is an array of officer housing set in a jungle landscape.
Cubi has its own clubs, movie theater, dining facilities, super market,
gas station and auto repair facility. There is a large Church and recreation
facilities including a swimming pool, tennis courts gymnasium and other
similar facilities. It is these facilities including the Navy magazine area
that I propose to be converted into a University Campus dedicated to the
study of the ecology.
The establishment of a World University of the ecology at these facilities
situated in and around the virgin rain forest and pristine coast line of
the Subic/Cubi base lands in Bataan must be seriously considered as a viable
and practical educational and economic alternative. My proposal is based
on the need to protect the primeval forests, mangrove swamps and the coral
beds, maximize the use of the existing military facilities with the minimum
amount of expenditure. This is I believe the kind of proposal that will
attract financing from many quarters and make a debt for nature swap an
attractive proposal to world wild life and conservation organizations. Under
this arrangement, part of the the Philippine foreign debt is bought by conservation
groups at a discount price and the Philippines pays back not in cash but
in nature. In effect turning over to the buyer of foreign debt huge stretches
of virgin forest for preservation and other conservation purposes. Such
as a University of the ecology for example.
Such a World University of the ecology led by The University of the Philippines
and other Philippine Universities can quickly turn to educational the existing
buildings described above. Conversion of these facilities for educational
purposes is relatively easy, low cost and promises to be self sustaining.
Private universities that choose to set up research and development facilities
can lease from the Philippine Government existing buildings and facilities
or lease a building site and build their own research facility. Foreign
universities may be attracted to set up colleges to study the ecology, conservation
of endangered species, medicinal research and development etc.
The present ammunition wharfs and dock at Camayan Point connected to Cubi
by road are ideal for Marine biology research studies and for semetral visits
by the 'floating universities'. The Semester at Sea idea is already a popular
educational alternative and is growing quickly in the United States and
Japan. Some universities have converted old passenger liners to floating
universities and a stay over at the World University would be an economic
advantage and a educational contribution from the visiting lectures and
scientists.
The development of an environmental campus in these areas will help de-congest
the pollution choked university belt of Manila, free up property there for
other economic uses and put the Philippines in the forefront of environmental
education. The huge student population will be physically present to protect
the forest from illegal loggers and at the same time represent a huge spending
power to the local economy. Transportation and other related services will
expand . The two huge power stations at Subic and Cubi will provide emergency
power for the University complex and other industries making the proposed
projects all that more attractive.
The virgin forests that remain inside the base areas are ideal for a "debt
for nature" swap. Under this idea International environmental groups
and universities would buy discounted Philippine Foreign debt papers and
exchange them for the peso equivalent which is then paid by turning over
a area of forest to be protected and nurtured by the International agency
together with local partners. The Subic/Cubi tropical rain forest is ideal
for such an arrangement.
CUBI INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE FACILITY.
Some time ago I wrote this : Invitation to bid ; Bids are invited on a 25
year lease of one complete international airport with overhaul facilities
situated at Cubi Point, Bataan Philippines a center hub of South East Asia
air traffic. The accompanying facilities include 313,000 square yards of
Apron space, extensive hangers, a fuel farm, control tower, administration
building and adjoining maintenance and airliner refitting hangers with nearby
jet engine testing and overhaul laboratory . There is a deep sea wharf nearby.
An Experienced and reliable work force is available. The property and facilities
are ideal for airline fleet overhaul or plane assembly. Specifications follow.
Interested parties please contact the Philippine Bases Conversion council
for further information and bidding rules.
I would like to see a proposal similar to this sent to all major airlines
to test their response and interest and also to be be able to gauge the
market value of the Cubi facility. I believe that the best kind of conversion
plan begins with using the facilities for the general purpose for which
they were designed. Cubi air station is ideal for conversion to a international
airline repair, overhaul and assembly center. It is much more than just
an airport for flying in tourists to the existing Grande island resort and
Binictican golf course .
Cubi is one of the busiest military airports in the Far East, it can park
up to 200 aircraft on its huge parking apron space. this is rare at any
modern airport that is situated by the sea with a wharf that can berth the
biggest aircraft carriers in the world. The taxi ways are directly Parallel
with the pier and adjacent to it for the off loading of damaged planes and
their direct towing to repair shops and hangers. This is the only airport
in south east Asia where direct ship off loading can be accomplished. Cubi
is designed for passenger and cargo handling on a large scale .It can take
Jumbo 747 planes and huge helicopter base adjacent to it with complete repair
and maintenance facilities.
SUBIC/CLARK OIL PUMPING AND STORAGE.
Little is know about the capacity of the massive oil pumping station at
Subic operated by the Naval Supply Depot. More than 1 million barrels of
fuel are passed through the line every month . The fuel farm alone at Subic
has seventy tanks, holding capacity is 26 Million barrels of oil. The 10
inch pipe line feeding Clark is 43 miles long and is buried underground
the length of its journey, this an important asset for conversion.
The oil tanker pier, massive storage tanks at Subic and Clark and the liquid
Fuel pumping station between Subic and Clark can continue to be used as
such. The idea is that Imported and domestic crude oil is pumped from Subic
to Clark to a proposed oil refinery and distribution center for central
Luzon to be built in Crow valley bombing range,( a refinery is presently
on offer to the Philippines from a Japanese corporation). Under this scheme
refined oil is then pumped back to Subic for shipment. This is a conversion
proposal that could save millions of pesos on distribution costs alone.
The Conversion of the NSD facilities, the Ship repair and recreational facilities
are obvious.
3) The Naval Supply Dept, with its huge buildings and wharfs is ideal for
conversion to light industry and manufacturing .
4) The Subic Ship repair facility may continue as such under a consortium
of private ship repair companies using the gigantic dry dock of nearby Philseco
across the bay. This private consortium will service commercial ships but
might even offer services to the non-nuclear ships of the US fleet.
5) Grande Island is a holiday resort at the mouth of Subic Bay and should
continue as such together with the other impressive recreational facilities
in the bases such as the golf courses and raiding stables etc. The lease
and renting of the facilities will earn income for the government which
can then with the new industries maintain and improve the facilities.
The Proposals for Clark include the already suggested modern oil refinery,
The development of an International airport for the transshipment of Asian
cargoes and plane assembly and industrial development projects as well as
the e land being turned over to landless farmers. But more of this later.
What bothers so many is the growing evidence that the government may already
have decided to make a new treaty discussing in the press a lease contract
as the arrangement for a new treaty. No new treaty should be even proposed,
it is obvious now that if any "phase out" will be just an excuse
to get past the present opposition to the US military presence . The conversion
plans offer greater hope for the future for Filipinos not to go for this
option is to miss the chance of the century and to betray the what is clearly
the common good.
