Various groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) staged protests in front of the US Embassy in Pasay City on September 16 to condemn the growing presence of American troops, weapons, war games, and US military bases in Philippine territory. The protest also marked the 34th anniversary of the historic expulsion of US military bases from the Philippines.

On September 16, 1991, more than 170,000 patriotic Filipinos gathered in front of the Senate to call for the rejection of the extension of the RP-US Military Bases Agreement. According to Bayan, the country now faces an alarming reversal of that victory. In the succeeding years and regimes, various agreements and legal bases were formed for the reentry of US military forces into the Philippines. These include the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which paved the way for the reestablishment of US military bases in the country.