The retention of US military bases in the Philippines angered Filipinos because the Philippines is a sovereign nation and should reserve the right to dictate who can enter especially when it comes to foreign armies. Historically the Filipinos and Americans have had a rocky relationship. During the Spanish-American War in the late 1800s, US forces allied with Filipino freedom fighters who wished to rid themselves of Spanish colonial rule. Much to their chagrin, however, the US (after defeating the Spanish) instituted their own colonial rule in the Philippines.
