ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the importance of specific factors in the Philippine–US relationship. The Philippines has maintained the strongest bilateral relationship with the United States compared to all the South China Sea claimant states, largely characterized by an alliance that features security guarantees enjoyed by no other claimant. The existing Philippine–US agreement extended basing rights until September 1991, and President Aquino evolved to favor an extension of US base access. In addition to a collection of smaller military facilities throughout the Philippines, treaty negotiations centered on the use of Clark Air Force Base and Subic Bay Naval Station, and both sides remained far from agreement by the beginning of 1991. US officials signaled that evicting its military from the Philippines would have implications on the security relationship. Domestic instability worsened in the Philippines in subsequent months, as an uprising in Mindanao was gaining renewed momentum.
