Melinda,
Yes, the Navy's been gone a while. OK with me... I never lived here then, but I used to visit occasionally. Fun place, especially in the pre-AIDS era, but more than a bit over the top. Not a place you'd want to raise a family. Things are a lot quieter now, especially since the local petty despot got religion (as soon as his customer base vanished) and cleaned up the flesh trade pretty thoroughly.
A lot of people felt that the local movement against the military bases was led by radicals, but I think the real impulse behind the scenes came from conservatives. A lot of prominent Filipinos, especially the religious ones, were pretty deeply offended by the scene.
Family & I are not the least bit worried by supertyphoons. Been through too many. We're in a flood-free zone, and the house is sturdy. I kind of like the feeling of being warm and dry in a big storm, though Joey will howl if the power goes out and he can't blow up spaceships on his computer. The road to Manila may vanish under volcanic debris (left over from Pinatubo) for a while, but so much the better - one more excuse not to go to Manila.
Steve |
