[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 252 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 252
Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the United States-Philippines
Mutual Defense Treaty.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 2, 2011
Mr. Lugar (for himself, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Inhofe) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the United States-Philippines
Mutual Defense Treaty.
Whereas Filipinos and Americans fought together in World War II, and an
estimated 1,000,000 Filipinos gave their lives to defend freedom;
Whereas the United States and the Republic of the Philippines signed the United
States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty in 1951;
Whereas the Philippines and the United States are longstanding allies, as
demonstrated by the Mutual Defense Treaty, cooperation in conflicts
since World War II, and the United States designation of the Philippines
as a Major Non-NATO Ally;
Whereas the United States Government seeks to maintain an alliance with the
Government of the Philippines that promotes peace and stability in
Southeast and East Asia, rule of law and human rights, economic growth,
counter-terrorism efforts, and maritime security;
Whereas United States naval ships visit Philippines' ports, and the United
States and Philippines' military forces participate in combined military
exercises under the Visiting Forces Agreement established in 1998;
Whereas the United States Government and the Government of the Philippines work
closely together in the struggle against terrorism to make local
communities safer and help establish an environment conducive to good
governance and development;
Whereas the navy of the Government of the Philippines has received a United
States Coast Guard cutter and assistance in establishing a coastal radar
system to enhance its monitoring of its waters;
Whereas the United States Government works closely with the Government of the
Philippines on humanitarian and disaster relief activities, and in the
past has provided prompt assistance to make United States troops,
equipment, assets, and disaster relief assistance available;
Whereas the Mutual Defense Board and the Security Engagement Board serve as
important platforms for the continuing stability of the long-standing
alliance between the Philippines and the United States in a rapidly
changing global and regional environment;
Whereas Philippines military forces have supported over the years many United
Nations peacekeeping operations worldwide;
Whereas the United States ranks as one of the Philippines' top trading partners,
with 11 percent of the Philippines' imports coming from the United
States and 15 percent of exports from the Philippines delivered to the
United States in 2010;
Whereas total United States foreign direct investment in the Philippines was
almost $6,000,000,000 at the end of 2009;
Whereas the Philippines is one of four countries that has been invited to
participate in the new Partnership for Growth Initiative, which promotes
broad-based economic growth in emerging markets;
Whereas many Americans and Filipinos have participated in people-to-people
programs such as the Peace Corps, the International Visitor Leadership
Programs, the Aquino Fellowship, Eisenhower Fellowships, and the
Fulbright Scholar Program;
Whereas an estimated 4,000,000 people living in the United States are of
Filipino ancestry, over 300,000 United States citizens live in the
Philippines, and an estimated 600,000 United States citizens travel to
the Philippines each year;
Whereas the alliance between the United States and the Philippines is founded on
core values that aim to promote and preserve democracy, freedom, peace,
and justice, and is fortified by the two nations' partnerships in
defending these values;
Whereas the Government of the Philippines seeks to improve governance,
strengthen the rule of law, and further develop accountable, democratic
institutions that can better safeguard human rights, secure justice, and
promote equitable economic development; and
Whereas Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with Foreign Secretary of the
Philippines, Albert del Rosario, on June 23, 2011, in Washington, DC,
and reaffirmed that the United States and the Philippines are
longstanding allies that are committed to honoring mutual obligations,
and strengthening the alliance: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) the Senate--
(A) celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the United
States-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty;
(B) confirms the alliance's enduring value as one
of the key pillars of peace, stability, and prosperity
in the Asia-Pacific region; and
(C) encourages both countries to mark this
important occasion with continued high-level exchanges;
and
(2) it is the sense of the Senate that--
(A) the United States Government should propose to
the Government of the Philippines that a joint
commission be established to review the potential for
enhancing security ties between the United States Armed
Forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,
including facilities access, expanded joint training
opportunities, and humanitarian and disaster relief
preparedness activities;
(B) the United States Government should redouble
efforts to expand and deepen the economic relationship
with the Government of the Philippines toward achieving
broad-based economic development in that country,
including by working on new bilateral initiatives that
support the efforts of the Government of the
Philippines to reform its economy and enhance its
competitiveness, and through trade-capacity building;
(C) the private sectors of the United States and
the Philippines should be urged to establish a United
States-Philippines organization with a mission to
promote actively and expand closer bilateral ties
across key sectors, including security, trade and
investment, education, and people-to-people programs;
(D) the Government of the Philippines should
continue its efforts to strengthen its democratic
institutions to fight corruption, curtail politically
motivated violence and extrajudicial killings, expand
economic opportunity, and tackle internal security
challenges; and
(E) the United States Government should continue
efforts to assist the Government of the Philippines in
the areas of maritime security, related communications
infrastructure to enable enhanced information-sharing,
and overall military professionalization.
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