Abstract
On 16 September 1999 the Philippine Senate voted against a proposed treaty to extend the presence of United States military bases in the Philippines for another ten years. As an insider in the Senate from 1987 to 1995, I reflect on the significance of this historic vote, which signified victory for the nationalist movement. How was it possible for a traditionally conservative and pro-US institution like the Philippine Senate to brave American displeasure by rejecting treaty extension? I address this question from the perspective of the broad antinuclear and anti-bases movement in the Philippines, from which a step-by-step strategy was implemented.Keywords: Senate • treaty • ratification • military bases • sovereignty
Recommended Citation
Simbulan, Roland G.;
(2018)
"The Historic Senate Vote of 16 September 1991: Looking Back and Looking Forward Twenty-Five Years After,"
Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints: Vol. 66:
No.
1, Article 2.
Available at:
https://archium.ateneo.edu/phstudies/vol66/iss1/2
