The Advent, Evolution Termination of the 1947 Military Bases Agreement and Its Influences to Philippine Military Foreign Policy

Richard Ryan C. Villegas

Volume 2, Issue 1, June 2022

The history of the Military Bases Agreement (MBA) between the US and the Philippines brings a dynamic view of Philippine foreign policy. The Philippine foreign policy has to change to respond to the changing needs of the changing times. Among the areas of foreign policy that is very significant is the military aspect as it provides social, economic advantages. This study aims to provide a historical overview of the MBA and its implication towards the adoption of a military foreign policy of the Philippines from 1947-1991. Explanations on how the MBA has shaped the Philippine foreign policies from 1947-1991 were provided. This historical study utilized the descriptive-analytical-narrative method and theory of military dependency. The following are the major findings of the study: 1) The Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union became a major factor in the establishment of military bases in the Philippines; 2) The massive task of rebuilding a war-devastated nation was aided by extensive American assistance. However, the Philippines faced a major problem of Communist insurgency dominated by the Hukbong Mapagpalaya sa Bayan (HMB) guerrillas; 3) The MBA had undergone several amendments during the administrations of Manuel A. Roxas to Corazon C. Aquino, and; 4) The MBA paved way for the signing of more recent military agreements such as the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

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