THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 11, 1995 TAG: 9502110067
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
Raul Ch. Rabe, the Philippines' ambassador to the United States, is coming to Norfolk Thursday to speak on ``Philippine-American Relations After the Bases.''
Rabe will address the World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads at Old Dominion University's Webb Center.
Nearly a century of U.S. military presence in the Philippines ended in November 1992 when the Navy abandoned Subic Bay naval base, which had been the largest American naval base in Asia.
Control of the base then reverted to the Philippines, which launched plans to convert the 62,000-acre installation into a commercial district.
Five other installations, including Clark Air Base, had been turned over to the Philippines a year earlier.
The presence of U.S. forces since independence in 1946 had been one of the most divisive issues in Philippine politics.
Surveys showed most Filipinos approved of the bases.
But a small but influential minority considered them an infringement on national sovereignty.
Before assuming his current post, Rabe served in the Philippine embassies in London, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Korea.
As director general for American affairs in the Philippines, he was involved in negotiations for the Treaty for Friendship, Cooperation and Security and in subsequent efforts to find alternative uses for the Subic Bay and Clark bases.
Thursday's event includes a reception at 6:15 p.m., dinner at 7 and the ambassador's speech at 8.
The cost is $16 for members, $20 for non-members and $10 for students. For reservations, call 461-3664 or 422-8445 by noon Tuesday. by CNB