Clinton Pays Homage to U.S., Philippine WWII Dead : Asia: President seeks to strengthen ties between two nations in aftermath of Manila’s rejection of U.S. bases.

Hailing a “ferocious love of freedom,” President Clinton today toured two of the Philippines’ most hallowed World War II shrines to honor the fallen and try to strengthen the passionate but often-strained U.S.-Philippine alliance.

In his first commemoration of Pacific fighting 50 years ago, Clinton scanned a sea of 18,000 Allied grave markers at the Manila American Cemetery and declared “time has diminished none of our pride in them. Their presence here reminds us of the meaning of courage and determination.”

“Nothing protects us in our freedom like the vigilance of memory,” he said.

Clinton’s 20-hour Philippine stop was intended to signal the U.S. willingness to build a new relationship with its one-time colony, three years after the Philippine Senate voted to eject U.S. troops from the big Subic and Clark military bases. Leaving behind last week’s stunning electoral defeat, Clinton is en route to a two-day Asian Pacific trade summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he will urge leaders of 16 other nations to work to overcome trade barriers.

Covering 152 acres, the Manila American Cemetery is the largest U.S. military grave site outside the United States. The gently rolling grounds are dotted with rows of identical marble crosses, encircling a central memorial made up of two marble-faced hemispheres on which are inscribed the names of 36,279 troops killed in the Pacific.

Earlier, Clinton strolled solemnly around Corregidor, the rocky island crouching at the mouth of Manila Bay that remains one of history’s foremost symbols of resistance to overwhelming odds. A garrison of 12,000 U.S. and Philippine troops held out under sustained bombardment for one month in 1942 before the Japanese completed their takeover of the island with a beach assault.

Joining Clinton at the cemetery was President Fidel V. Ramos, who vowed that “the Filipino people have not forgotten, and we will never forget their ultimate gift.”

With Ramos and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at his side, Clinton walked around Corregidor examining the scorched and bullet-pocked shell of the former army barracks and cinema. In a plaid, open-collared shirt and sunglasses, Clinton talked with Philippine veterans, but made no formal remarks. Before returning to Manila by helicopter he toured the maze of tunnels under the island where the desperate forces set up a headquarters, munitions dump and hospital.

The Philippine campaign cost about 20,000 American lives and 320,000 Japanese. One million Filipinos out of a total population of 18 million died in the struggle.

Later, some historians and Filipinos argued that the campaign may have been unnecessary, since the region proved to be unneeded for attacking Japan.

But others counter that the war would never have ended without the U.S. forces first taking on the huge Japanese garrison on the Philippines.

Clinton was formally received in the Philippines by Ramos at an earlier ceremony at Malacanang Palace, the state residence where former American governors and former President Ferdinand E. Marcos lived.

Clinton’s arrival on Saturday, however, was marred by protests. Several hundred supporters of the leftist federation Sanlakas marched toward Clinton’s hotel.

They yelled “Clinton out!” and called Ramos a “puppet” until they were dispersed by tear gas and water cannons.

Today, Clinton also laid a wreath at the memorial to Jose Rizal, the gentle poet and physician who was accused by the Spanish of fomenting insurrection and executed in 1896, two years before the Spanish-American War put the islands in American control.

Clinton had been invited to a commemoration last month of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s return to the island of Leyte, which marked a turning point in the war. In one sign of the delicacy of U.S.-Philippine relations, many Filipinos were angered when Clinton begged off, arguing that the event was too close to the American elections.

Later today, Clinton was to hold a one-hour diplomatic talk with Ramos that was expected to center on Ramos’ desire for stronger economic ties between the two countries.

On the eve of talks with Clinton, Ramos said Saturday that there is a “possibility” the Philippines would consent to having the United States set up nearby the kind of floating military depot the Pentagon says it badly needs for regional crises.

Ramos stressed that the idea, which has already been rejected by at least one Asian government--Thailand--would need to go through a several-step consideration by Philippine and U.S. officials. But in an interview at Malacanang Palace, he also indicated that he did not want to reject the idea out of hand.

“I’ve not seen any formal proposal . . . but looking at this at a working level is a possibility,” Ramos said.

Pentagon officials would like to have a floating depot where they could store enough equipment and supplies to sustain one heavy brigade for 15 days, for military or disaster relief operations in the Mideast or the Korean peninsula.

As proposed to Thai officials, the plan would include up to 850,000 square feet of storage for equipment that would include M-1A1 Abrams tanks and M-2A2 Bradley fighting vehicles.

The gear would be stored on half a dozen huge ships or barges outside the territorial limits. Some maintenance would be required, but the plan envisions no need for accompanying troops.

In turning down the proposal, a Thai spokesman said that “establishing any armed depot in the Gulf of Thailand could lead to misunderstanding among other countries of the region.” He was presumably referring to China, which with its great size and growing power is a source of anxiety to many governments in the region.

Indonesia and Malaysia are also reported to have rejected the plan. Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Abdullah Alatas has been quoted as saying that the balance of a U.S. presence in Asia is needed, but not in the form of military bases.