[I’ll go back!]
Compared to being stationed in the Middle East it will be like dying and going to Heaven. There’s a number of military retirees that will be glad to get a PX again.
Take it from a retiree living in the Philippines, (since 2001), there will be no PX or Navy Exchange. The Clark Field is now populated with many international corporations and a new civilian hospital was just built there. There is even a major mall there.
The same is true for Subic. There are major international corporations there, a commercial shipping port and a new hospital also. Subic is a FreePort now.
The plan, as stated in the local newspapers, is that ships will come into port for repairs, supplies and R&R, but there will not be any ships stationed in Subic nor will there be more than a small contingent of U.S. Navy personnel in Subic.
Clark Field is now an international airport, but U.S. military flights do stop there, mostly they are bringing in Army personnel and Marines that arrive to conduct training exercises and advisor duties with the Philippine military.
There is a large group of Filipinos that do not want our military in the Philippines. There are women rights groups that also don’t want us in the Philippines. And there is still a question concerning the Status of Forces Agreement. Some Filipinos want U.S. service members who are accused of criminal activity to be held in Philippine jails prior to going to trial, (which can take many years before going on trial).
As far as I know, this issue has not been worked out with the Philippine Government.
It is said that our ship and planes will rotate in and out of the former bases but will not be permanently stationed at the bases, nor will they stay for prolonged periods of time.