When and why was the U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay and the Clark Air Base in the Philippines built?

subic bay - 1885

http://www.subicbaypi.com/home.htm

clark - 1899

http://www.clarkab.org/history/

Subic bay was the main naval base and arsenal of Spain in the Philippines, and taken over by the USA after defeating Spain in the spanish american war. Subic bay is a natural harbor that offers a perfect combination of protected waters for ships of all sizes, and is so large that it is easy to navigate and turn around even large ships in the clear clam waters. The US Navy took advantage of this natural harbor as the perfect location in the asia pacific region, prior to WW2 the USA had placed a blockade on Japan, and relied upon Subic as the main naval base in the region.

Clark Air Base was located on a former US Cavalry base. It's location is significant because much of the Philippines is hilly, or wetlands, while Clark is a large, flat, level, high and dry location, this is likely why it was a good spot first for the calvary in 1908, then later for the airforce at the time when calvary forces became obsolete.

In WW2 the greatest American and Filipino military minds did not think that invasion of the Philippines Islands by Japan was feasible, and so they were unprepared for invasion, and easily overrun and occupied by Japanese forces. Both Clark and Subic were 'used' by the Japanese in WW2 as military bases, and as POW camps. After the Philippines was liberated by joint USA and Filipino forces, both Clark and Subic were the main allied camps preparing for a land invasion of Japan. Nuclear bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasiki caused an early surrender by Japan, so further preparations of a ground invasion of the Japanese home islands from Clark and Subic was not necessary.

After WW2 Clark and Subic became important Asia bases in the USA's 'cold war' to halt the 'domino effect' of spreading communism, first in Korea, then in Vietnam which is located on the other side of the South China Sea across from Subic and Clark.