Nearly 15,000 U.S. troops and hundreds of civilian workers in the Philippines will receive danger pay increases immediately, the Pentagon said yesterday.
The pay boost, follows threats by communist guerrillas against Americans in that country, represents an additional 15 percent of basic salary for U.S. civilian employes and $110 per month for military personnel.
Two U.S. airmen were shot dead in the Philippines last Sunday, one day before U.S. and Philippine negotiators opened exploratory talks on the future of Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier attacks on U.S. targets have been by the New People's Army, a communist guerrilla group demanding withdrawal of the bases.
It has vowed to increase attacks to force Washington to pull military forces out of the Philippines.
"The Department of Defense has designated the Philippines as an area of imminent danger for special pay purposes because of the current unstable 8onditions," the Pentagon said in a brief statement.
There are 14,745 military personnel and 1,355 U.S. civilians working for the Pentagon in the Philippines.
The State Department will also pay imminent-danger pay to all of its American employees, the Pentagon said.