I've been stateside since 1992 and didn't need to speak Tagalog or Spanish fluently when the people, themselves, told me what was up in plain English. I care not how others 'quantify' their lives and having a 'sanitized' experience is, yet again, your opinion. Hell, took nothing to ask 'What does that mean?' if I didn't know, but, living around Spanish speaking people growing up, it wasn't difficult to catch a word or phrase I was familiar with which further lead to the confusion regarding their ethnicity.
I don't care about guns and won't be going in that thread. Never spent less than a month at any port aside from the Philippines, but that doesn't diminish anything since it was repeated at every duty station.
All I do know, however, is that EVERY servicemember will tell you the same thing I've stated whether they were stationed in the Philippines or anywhere else on the planet.
I don't think your singular experience trumps those of several thousand, or even the dozen that post here, but that's how this board works for some people.
Far easier to disagree with someone without having to resort to childish name-calling retorts in an effort to seem 'superior'.
Peace.