US troops boost local economy, says Olongapo City mayor

Olongapo Mayor James Gordon Jr. is given a tour by Captain Nelson Hildreth aboard the USS Frank Cable, a submarine tender, which docked in the Alava Pier of the Subic Bay Freeport last week. Photo by Robert Gonzaga

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—American ships and submarines are welcome here because they will boost the local economy and ensure that countries which threaten the Philippines’ sovereignty are deterred, Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon Jr. said.

“More American presence in the area is welcome. They are our closest ally and our relationship with them has always been beneficial not only to the community but to the entire country,” Gordon told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Wednesday.

The mayor met this week with officials of the USS Frank Cable, a submarine tender docked at Alava Pier.

He said he is supporting the eventual return or increased presence of American troops in Subic, a former base of the US Navy until 1991, because it will answer many problems.

“We have an underutilized seaport, underutilized airport. We have a problem with China. It’s high time for the United States to return after 20 years. We have to be practical about it,” Gordon said.

“We’re familiar with how the US base operates. Over here, you get value for money. Also, our economy will benefit and we will finally have regional security—not just for us but for the surrounding countries.”

The Frank Cable, which arrived on Sept. 3, tends to the needs of submarines in the US Navy, like the USS Hawaii (SSN 776), a Virginia Class submarine, which arrived on Sept. 7 and left on Wednesday.

Capt. Nelson Hildreth, commanding officer of the Frank Cable, said since submarines are small, they must have vessels for their support, supplies and maintenance. The Frank Cable conducts maintenance and support of submarines and surface vessels deployed in the US 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility, he said.

While docked at the free port replenishing the Hawaii, personnel of the Frank Cable participated in community work in Olongapo City.

Hildreth said 261 sailors contributed more than 1,200 hours of community service, like painting buildings and conducting dental services.

A statement from the US Embassy in Manila said the ship’s visit was “for a routine port call and goodwill visit that highlighted the strong historic, community and military connections between the [US] and the Philippines.”

The Frank Cable, which is based in Guam, has about $26 million worth of spare parts for submarines and a machine shop. “We make parts, repair shafts for pumps, make screws, bolts, rewind motors and fix submarine periscopes,” Hildreth said. Robert Gonzaga, Inquirer Central Luzon