Military

After stubbing out the butt of a thick cigarette, the Manila resident rearranges the
bottles of soda and bags of snacks she peddles from a cart in the park, just steps from
the U.S. Embassy.

Without looking up, Estrada reels off a litany of reasons why she believes U.S. troops
should not be helping the Philippine military hunt Abu Sayyaf rebels on the southern
island of Basilan.

"It will cause more people to fight. The Americans will not leave when they say
they will. There will be more bombings," she said. "No good will be done."

Judging by 2,000 flag-burning protesters at the U.S. Embassy - the largest yet in
a series of demonstrations - Estrada is not alone in her opinion.

But there also are public signs that large numbers of Filipinos support the role U.S.
troops are playing as teachers and advisers to their poorly equipped and undertrained
counterparts.

Public support has become more pronounced in recent days, following the early morning
helicopter crash that claimed 10 U.S. lives.

Residents in Zamboanga City, where the bulk of 660 U.S. troops have set up shop on a
Philippine military base, staged a large march Tuesday to thank the Americans for their
presence.

At the same time in Cebu, a memorial service was held in honor of the victims.

Both the march and the memorial service topped the news in Manila. For some here, the
determination that U.S. military leaders have expressed in the wake of the accident is
proof of the Americans' intentions.

"If they did not really care about why they were here, they would have left after
the crash," said Joseph Vilson, a 16-year-old student.

"People say that the Americans have bled for us, so that shows how much we can
trust them. I believe that."

Like many young Filipinos, Vilson said he would love to join the U.S. military. One of
his older friends, he said, serves on a U.S. Navy ship.

"I would like to come back on a ship like that, to show the people here that they
are interested in helping us, not just in making new bases," Vilson said.

A large part of the opposition is based on a fear that the U.S. military would like to
reclaim former installations such as Subic Bay, which was returned to Philippines control
in 1991.

Jerry Hamja, a dock worker at the Philippine Port Authority's South Harbor, said
he fears the United States will be unwilling to relinquish its toehold.

"I think that the American government would be happy to have us as a colony
again," he said. "I think they have been looking for [an] excuse to get back
their bases since they left. Our constitution prohibits that."

Some newspaper columnists suggest the same, and are even more suspicious about the U.S.
presence. One of those columnists, Jose Guevara, opined that the exercises are being
pushed by Philippine drug companies, who stand to benefit from what he calls the
inevitable increase in fighting.

The debate seemingly has taken root everywhere. Curbs throughout the city are
spray-painted with a simple slogan: "U.S. troops out now." On some of the
brightly decorated "mega taxis" that choke the streets are American flag
stickers, just above spray-painted signs on bumpers reading "God bless this
trip."

Philippine newspapers reported at least one case in recent weeks in which a man was
stabbed to death during an argument about the U.S. military exercises. It was, however,
the same week that a man reportedly was killed in argument over his poor karaoke version
of "My Way."

Most Filipinos encountered on a hot weekday afternoon were content to disagree quietly.

Sil Reyes listened to the opinions expressed by her other classmates, who were taking
practice surveying measurements in a patch of the park across from Gloria Estrada's
sales cart, then chimed in.

"I don't think I've made up my mind yet," said the 20-year-old from
the Makati district. "I think that we have to wait and see how it turns out. If they
finish off Abu Sayyaf, or if they help our military do that, I don't see how it
cannot be good. But if they leave without success, it will be remembered as a bad
thing."