Angeles City, home of the former US air base at Clark, now booming international airport, may become a new hub for Asian air traffic and a new city is being planned in a building boom.   The Philippine office of tourism has the slogan, "more fun here," and unlike most ad slogans, it is true.

   During the past week it has been parties almost every night at Horizon Hill Hotel  where investors and builders from Australia and other Asian nations are planning to build condos, shopping centers and eco-tourism resorts.

   In the last month I have had more fun than in a year in California and will today visit a new condo complex where for a paltry $10,000 a apartment can be purchased.   On Permimter road there are bars and restaurants, such as new Diiner One and we do have fun every night.    My staff including Tina, a computer school grad, and Angela, who learned the resort business in Porto Galara, her hometown, are working hard on several different projects.    Angeles City has some of the best medical treatment in the wortld,  where Dr.Willie  Lee saved my life from a strangulated hernia and Dr. Tey Bondoc performed two operations that also helped me greatly, at a fraction of US medical costs. 

     There are downsides.  A friend of mine got run over by a tricycle, which rip off tourists by overcharging and drunken ex-pats who sit around alll day chugging booze.  Some of these drunks, such as the manager of a dive called Wobbly Boot, got so boozed up he could not even stand at four in the afternoon.  This guy, a young American wanted to get into a fight because he did not believe I was a POW of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in 1975.  He was too drunk to throw a punch and was restrained by his own staff.

     But most of the foreigners here are some of the best and most interesting people I have met anywhere in the world.  The locals, including beautiful girls, are happy and friendly and great fun.

    When you get bored here, you can go to the beach in Subic, eating fish dinners in the sunset or go to the Fontana Water Park, as I did with my grandbaby Brookie and my newpher Jake and niece Analyn. (Photo below)

    Yes, it is more fun in the Philippines.

Clark Philippine Air Force Base

by Richard David Boyle

    As my grandbaby Brookie splashed in the man mande waves at Fontana resort, an aging Philippine Air Force jet made a pass over.  That day China's leading daily newspaper warned the Philippines of economoic sanctions if it goes ahead with closer military ties with the US,  so the pilolt surely knew his plane was no match for a new generation of Chinese fighter jets.

     Last year Chinese navy gunboats fired shells as Filipino fishing boats in the disputed South China Seas, forcing President Aquino to seek more military ties with the US, including more joint training exercises with both navies and marines.   This has angered China, and in its semi official voice the Global Times warned Aquino of cutting economic ties which could badly hurt Manila's efforts to end poverty and unemployment.

     If shooting started between the Philippines and China, local military sources say they would be badly outmached by Chinese fighters, subs and missiles as well as surface craft.  Aquino would like a squadron of F-16 fighters and a new submarine, but the sub alone would cost nearly all of the Philippine military budget for a year

    President Barack Obama has pledged to shore up US military presence in Asia, sending 2500 marinesx to Darwin, Australia and use Singapore as a naval rotatation base.  Both Aquino and Obama say there is no talk of the US going back to its old bases here at Clark, and the navy basse at Subic, which I visited last week.

     The conflict in what  is called here  the West Philippine Sea is over mostly deserted islands and coral reefs that are rich in oil and gas.  China has been flexing its military muscle to "bully" the Philippines and six other nations who lay claim to these strategic islands.

     The Philippines does have a military garrison to show the flag in the Spratley Islands, but China has been sending subs and navy ships to the area to show they could take them any time they wished.   Washington is clearly worried about this threat, but since it too could be subject to China's economic leverage, owing Beijing over one trillion dollars, has tried to cool down the angry exchanges of saber rattling, as has China  in official statements, but clearly a global crisis is looming.

     I wonder why none of the Republican candidates, or even Obama himself, have not discussed this issue, which is more of a present military threat than is Afganistan or Iraq.  Either, it seems, they do not know about it, or do not care.

Richard David Boyle was a former national security adviser to Congressman Pete McCloskey when he ran for president against Nixon in 1972 and later during the impeachment trial led by McCloskey.

by Richard David Boyle

   The best part of being in Philippines is the interesting perople you meet, and Hannu and Miss X have both been on the front lines in the war between Islam and the West.

    Huannu, a rugged 50 year old served in the Finnish army in Bosina when thousands of Moslim  boys and men were butchered by the Serbians while about 300 Dutch troops stood by helpless.

   "I was there with the UN forces in a Finnish Construction Battalion as a Chief Warrant Officer," said Hannu over a great German dinner at the Canteen restaurant in Angeles City.  "The UN high command screwed up," he told me, because the Dutch were lightly armed and no help came from UN bosses in New York because of bureaucrattic delays in the United Nations.

     "I was almost killed by Serbian soldiers as drunk as monkeys," he said, and on several  instances Serb civilians saved his life, once by getting him out of a bar by the back door.

Hannu said sadly that all sides committed war crimes such as rape.  "I saw a 10 year old girl raped by Serbs in Kosovo,"  he said, adding she was lucky they did not kill her.

     Miss X, who does not want to use her real name, also has had a life worthy of a film script, all at the tender age of 21.  Born to strict Moslim parents, her father was a commander of one of the units in the Moro Liberation Army, which now has a ceasefire with the President Aquino government in Manila.  She left Mindanao, after learning weapons and martial arts skills, to go to Syria as a maid.  Hoping for a better life, it turned into a nightmare from hell.  "They treated me worse than a dog," she said over drinks on the beach at Subic Bay.   She ran away and ended up at the Phiilppine embassy, who turned her over to the police because she had no money or any place to go.

      Taller at 5 feet 6 inches than most Filipinas,  she survived the ordeal of four months in a brutal Syrian prison because she was tough, spoke some Arabic and was a Moslim.   "There were Russian, African and other Filipinas in prison," she said, "we had only one meal a day, bread and tea at night."

    Unlike thousands of female prisoners who are raped by brtual prison guards during the recent uprising, she was not raped and had to fight off the sexual advances of women prisoners.  "I was very lucky," she told me over sunset dinner on a floating bar.  She was saved by then President Gloria Arroyo, who got her safe passage back home.

     She considered working in a bar, but could not bring herself to have sex with different men and now is looking for work and I wished her well.

     Miss X is glad to be free from the violence of her native Mindanao where last week 15 fishermen were executed for fishing in disputed waters.   Elsewhere the New Peoples Army ambushed a Philippine Air Force combat team and exploded a bomb which killed one soldier and wounded three others.

     A liberated Moslim woman, she smokes and drinks but will not eat pork, but loves to dance and have fun.   We did have fun at the beach, for a her a first time visiit to historic Subic Bay, scene of battles in the Spanish American War and World War II.

      Now the talk at the beachside bars is the threat of a new war with China over the disputed Spratly Islands, rich in oil and gas and the target of Chinese military incursions, that could spark a bloody incident.  

      United States and Philippines are now in high level talks about mutual security in the face of this growing threat from China.

Richard David Boyle, wrote Flower of the Dragon about the war in Vietnam, was twice wounded and was a POW iin Indochina wars and worked as national security adviser to Congressman Pete McCloskey.

by Richard David Boyle

      Yesterday 60 armed New Peoples Army rebels shot up a police station, killed the mayor's bodyguard and roughed up a policewoman while disarming her, but the story got little coverage in Manila, capitol of the Philippines.

     Most newspapers and all TV stations ignored this story of the last remaining Communist rebellion in the world, lasting over 40 years and causing tens of thousands of lives.   If rebels shot up a town in Florida it would be front page headlines, but here nobody really cares about this long running war.  I was with my wife in Samar, where the town was shot up yesterday and barely missed an NPA ambush that wiped out a Philippine Army convoy.   The Tacloban newspapers did not even cover that story and a local policeman did not even know troops were killed up the road.

      A Philippine army colonel told me the NPA is losing strength, down to about 4000 active armed rebels, and last year killed 100 government soldiers and police, a drop off from 184 killed the year before.  He said that while there are about 500 attacks each year, the NPA is now mostly engaging in extortion against mining companies and have caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.   Few Americans have been killed in this war, but NPA Sparrow units have killed US military including a colenel who was a military adviser.

      Off the record there is strong discontent in the Philippine Armed Forces about the moves of President Aquino to allow Jose Ma Sison, the NPA founder, to return from exile in Holland and he and other Communists may be offered cabinent posts if they lay down their weapons.  In fact Aquino's fight against human rights abuses and for land reform has caused an erosion in NPA power in the provinces such as Samar, a long time power base for the rebels.

      Aqunio is probably more concerned about the Moslem rebels in the south in Mindanao, but there has also been peace feelers made to the Moro Liberation Front, which has been funded by Al Queda in Saudi Arabia.  Also there is concern about the military threat  posed by China, so much so that US marines will join Philippine marines in joint naval exercises in March near the oil and gas rich  Spratly Islands, which is claimed by both the Philippines and China, plus  other countries including Vietnam and Taiwan.

     China, which has been flexing its military muscle by building up its navy and developing new long range missiles, will not like these joints training exercises, and has been saber rattling in its governmental statements.

    But China, which is really no longer a Communist state, and is reaching out to control world trade, has no interest in arming the NPA, which has no ally left.

    The truth is however, that still in many remote villages the NPA is the only local government, and  " people's courts" hand out "justice" since there is often no military or police presence.

      Aquino will have to control hardline elemments in his own army to bring about any real deal with Sison and the NPA, and hopefully he will do it, because 100 security forces' lives lost a year is too many.

Richard David Boyle was a former national security adviser to Congressman Pete McCloskey and AP Bureau chief when captured by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in 1975.  Twice wounded in Vietnam, he was a  film professor at USC and Stanford and won an Oscar nomination for Salvador.

 by Augustina Geres, Chair Samar Region,

 Teachers  for a  Change.

   The president of an education foundation, Richard David Boyle, today said he was pleased with the outcome of talks between President Aquino of the Philippines and two US Congressional delegations dicussing the growing threat of China's acting as a "bully" in the disputed South China Sea.

     "I told both US and Philippine members of congress that both contries should unite in the wake of a growing Chinese naval presence in the oil rich islands called here the West Philippine Sea," Boyle said.

     Boyle sent emails to both Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and Congressman Manny Pacquiao and US Congressman Joe Baca, with an open letter he sent to President Aquino. Boyle met Enrile in 1986 during the People Power revolt when he was working with Oliver Stone on the film, Platoon, filmed in Cavite. 

       Senator John McCain, who addressed a US Embassy press conference apparently agreed that Aquino is doing his best to stop human rights abuses and halt corruption that was widespread in the former Gloria Arroyo administraton.

"China is building a fleet of aircraft carriers and has long range missiles that could pose a threat to the US navy,"  said Boyle, who was a former national security to Congressman Pete McCloskey when he ran against Nixon for President in the 1972 Republican primaries.

  Boyle is visiting Angeles City, home of the former Clark Air Base.  McCain said there is no chance of Clark or Subic again becoming US bases, but he did urge military cooperation in the presence of growing Chinese military power.

  "I was a POW like McCain," Boyle said, "and saw two million Cambodians die at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, an ally of China in 1975.   China did little to stop the genocide and armed the Khmer Rouge.  China is truly a growing threat in the region because of its economic and military strength."  Boyle, twice wounded in Vietnam combat, was AP Bureau Chief when captured by the Khmer Rouge and later freed from the French embassy.  He worked in the makeshift infant hospital during a cholera outbreak and became ill himself.

Ms. Geres has an associate degree in computer secretarial studies  from Samar University and worked for the Department of Agrian Reform as an intern in Catbalogan, Samar.

Dear Mr. President Aquino:

   As a former national security adviser to Congressman Pete McCloskey, who ran against and later led impechment of Nixon, a tyrant much like Marcos, I strongly urge the United States to deliver a squadron of F-16 fighters to your country and other needed equipment in the wake of tensions in the Philippine Sea.

     I have been told that my country is balking at this request because of alleged human rights abuses, such as the murder of journalists.   As I said in this blog, it is true there were many abueses under Gloria Arroyo, and there are still murders of journalists, however I do believe that since you saw the tragic death of your father at the hands of a despot, Marcos, you are trying to stop this abuse.

    I saw the People Power revolt against Marcos while I was working with Oliver Stone on the film, Platooon, which won Oscar honors as well as my film screenplay for Salvador.

     I am forwarding this email to members of congress to say that the United States has no right to blame the Philippines when I can testify that there many human rights abuses in my nation.

     The list of victims include a brave Border Patrol Officer, Brian Terry, gunned down by machine guns given to Mexican drug cartels by our own government, the ATF.

      The Cartels, such as the Mexican Mafia, run my county's (San Bernardino) community college board through vast donations and bribes through the San Manuel Casino.  The DEA investigated drug dealing, money laundering and murder for hire plots in 2007, but after San Manuel gave the Republican party over a million dollars the investigaton halted.

      Those who opposed the Casino and cartels where also gunned down such as James Seay, brother of my friend Mark Seay, a famous football player.  I myself received death threats when I ran against casino boss James Ramos who controls the colleges and now wants to control the county.  The Dstrict Attorney Michael Ramos who has got massive donations from the casino/cartel refused to press charges against James Seay's killers or even allow DNA evidenxnce of the murder weapon.

       Journalists also die in California, such as Iris Chang, who wrote the Rape of Nanking and Cassandra Leimel, who as a campus radio reporter exposed casino/cartel corruption at San Bernardino Valley College.  Police called both deaths suicide, but now forensic evidence shows that Ms. Leimel, who was my campaign manager and brought evidence to the Grand Jury, did not kill herself.

       This Mr. President is an example of human rights abuses in one county in California and massive evidence is being compiled by attorney Frank Peterson who will bring it to a jury this year proving that the casino/cartels plotted murder plots against not only his client, Mr. Epps, but others who opposed this corruption.

      Therefore the argument that the United States has a clean human rights record and can shake its finger at the Philippines, according to the facts, is simply not true.

      I have been to the Philippines since 1965, married to Filipina for 16 years and love your country because it truly is "fun" and I strongly urge the Obama Administraton to supply the F-16 fighters, navy ships and other equipment needed for your national defense.

Signed,

Richard David Boyle, President, Teachers for a Change.

    Manila, Philippines, Jan. 15,.

    Senator John McCain is coming to Manila with three other senators for high level talks with President Aquino about several issues, including beefing up Philippine defense against the growing threat from China over oil rich islands in the South China Sea.

      The Philippines is seeking a squadron of F-16 fighters to replace its outdated airfleet as well as more naval power to act as a deterrant to China, which has according to intelligence new long range missiles able to hit a US carrier at 2000 miles.  China, in fact, is building its own fleet of carriers, a worry to Philippine military staff, who are fighting a bloody war against Moslem armies in the south. 

       The U.S. has helped the Philippine army in that fight, but is balking at giving more advanced hardware such as the F-16 fighters because of what is called a poor human rights record.  Just last week a newspaper editor was gunned down by two men in a trike and over a dozen journalists have been killed last year.

      However most obserbors credit President Aquino with at least trying to stop violence against journalists, unlike the past administration of Gloria Arroyo, who is facing criminal charges.

      A main concern to Philippine military leaders is that if Iran does block passage of oil shipping, the disputed South China Sea, called the Eastern Philippine Sea here, will become even more vital and tensions may quickly escalate.

      Several US Congresssman are also meeting with Aquino, who will visit the United States later this year.   The Philippines and seven other nations including Vietnam all claim the string of mostly barren, but energy rich islands, but China with its growing military and economic power is becoming the major player.  The US is in debt $1.1 trillion dollars to China, which could turn on the economic screws by varous means.  The US public is also becoming weary of the long drawn out conflict in Afganistan, and images of US marines defiling the dead bodies of Taliban fighters has soured world opinion of the effort.

      The talks in the coming days may be vital in any decision the Aquino administration makes in its overall military strategy.

by Richard David Boyle, who served as National Security Adviser to Congressman Pete McCloskey when he ran against Nixon for president in 1972 and in the years following, including during the McCloskey led impeachment of Nixon.

    As China and Philippines face off in a potential flashpoint over a string of barren, but oiil rich islands in the South China Sea, residents of my Horizons Hill apartment talked about how close the world came to blowing up.

    The Philippines is asking Washington for help to beef up its military  as eight nations, including Vietnam, which fought a short but bloody war with China, battle over rights to the islands in dispute.  The Philippines has a base with a few troops to protect one vital island and is sending a delegation to China to try to settle the dispute without military conflict. 

     China is now a powerful military force with nuclear subs and long range missles, but few doubt there will be  a war although there is always a possibility of a naval battle nobody wants.

      "We came close to World War III in the Cuban missile crisis," said Rick who was an US airforce communications specialist in Turkey facing the Soviets.   Rick told me something I never knew, that the US had no missiles in Turkey when John Kennedy told the Russians he would dismantle non existent rockets, a lie that worked and maybe saved the planet from destruction.

     Over a Mai Tai cocktail by the beautiful pool I spend the afternoon with two former cold warriors who fought on different sides.    Martin served three years in the East German army, and he said they would have rolled over the West German army if World War did break out in the eighties.   I told Martin that I was

a national security adviser to Congressman Pete McCloskey at that time and we were worried that if war did start the US and NATO would be hard pressed to stop the Soviet and Warszaw Pact if war did start because the US military was demoralized after the Vietnam war.

Jimmy, 81, fought in the crack Australian infantry during the Korenn War and agrees the world did come close to  nuclear War.

"NATO has no busieness in Afganistan," said Martin and Jimmy and I agreed.

One of the best parts of living part time in Balibago,, and especially my place, is that everyone you meet is a tough and intersting guy,  each with a story worth a movie script.

Jimmy is battling Austrailian immigration to get his 26 year old wife and son a visa.   He says some are jealouis that he has a young beautiful wife, but I think he is living a great life, much better than a retirement home where you play bingo all day.

By Richard David Boyle