[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 41 (Thursday, April 2, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E559-E560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     WELCOMING PRESIDENT FIDEL VALDEZ RAMOS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE 
                              PHILIPPINES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 1, 1998

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, hailing from the congressional district 
geographically situated closest to the Republic of the Philippines, 
Guam and its people share deep cultural and historic ties with the 
Philippines. It is, therefore, with great anticipation and pleasure 
that I join Filipino communities all over the country in welcoming His 
Excellency, Fidel Valdez Ramos, the President of the Republic of the 
Philippines, to the United States as he visits our nation's capital 
next week.
  As with the island of Guam, the rest of the United States have for 
over a century shared historic, cultural, political and economic ties 
with the Republic of the Philippines. President Ramos is the embodiment 
of these ties. He comes from very respected and prominent families in 
the Philippines. His Father Narciso Ramos was a lawyer, crusading 
journalist, and five-term member of the Philippine House of 
Representatives, who was later appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs. 
His mother, Angela Valdez, was a suffragette and public school teacher.
  Destined towards greatness, President Ramos exhibited dedication to 
excellence even in his formative years. He graduated valedictorian at 
the Lingayen Central School prior to being accepted to the University 
of the Philippines High School in Manila. In 1946, he was chosen to 
receive a Philippine government scholarship to attend the prestigious 
United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. As one of the 
top graduates of West Point's Class of 1950, President Ramos was 
invited to join the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Upon graduation in 
1950, President Ramos' desire to help rebuild his country from the 
ruins of World War II led him to pursue a master's degree in civil 
engineering at the University of Illinois. He served alongside American 
servicemen as a Second Lieutenant in the Philippine Expeditionary Force 
during the Korean War and, later, as Chief of Staff of the Philippine 
Civil Action Group in Vietnam.
  The culmination of his illustrious military career came when he was 
appointed Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 1986. True to 
his commitment to duty, honor, and country, he joined forces with 
former defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile during the 1986 EDSA ``People 
Power'' Revolution, a coup d'etat designed to restore democracy to the 
Philippine Republic. He was later appointed Secretary of National 
Defense under President Corazon C. Aquino and, in 1992, the people of 
the Philippines gave him the mandate to be twelfth in a succession of 
Philippine presidents since the proclamation of the First Philippine 
Republic in 1898.
  During his visit I am sure that President Ramos will take some time 
to focus upon an issue which has been of importance to him for some 
time now. While still a West Point Cadet in the 1950's, President Ramos 
became interested in bells left by the Army 11th Infantry at F.E. 
Warren AFB, Wyoming, the Bells of Balangiga. These church bells were 
taken from a Catholic church in the Philippines by U.S. military forces 
in 1901. As Philippine Defense Secretary and later as President of the 
Philippine Republic, he repeatedly worked toward the return of these 
bells.
  There was a time when officers at F.E. Warren wanted to get rid of 
the bells. The brass relics seemed to have no relevance for a modern 
missile base. Few people seemed to know or care about these bells--that 
is until the Filipinos requested their return.
  Vocal opposition from a number of Cheyenne residents has prevented 
any progress on this issue. The bells are currently part of a monument 
which supposedly memorializes American soldiers who died in Balangiga, 
a small town in Central Philippines. However,

[[Page E560]]

our failure to resolve this matter is slowly transforming this monument 
into a symbol of inflexibility and false pride.
  On November 7, 1997, I introduced H. Res. 312 to remedy the 
situation. Along with members of the Wyoming State Legislature and 
Philippine Ambassador Raul Chaves Rabe, I propose a compromise whereby 
this solitary and isolated memorial will be converted into fitting 
monuments located on both sides of the world dedicated to the peace, 
friendship and cooperation that have existed between the United States 
and the Filipino people. This compromise calls for the United States 
and the Republic of the Philippines to share the bells. The bells will 
be recast and duplicates made. The United States and the Philippines 
will each keep an original and a duplicate. The Philippine government 
has even expressed willingness to absorb the costs involved. H. Res. 
312 would facilitate this proposal, which I hope my colleagues will 
take the time to reconsider.
  As we welcome President Fidel Ramos to our country, let us honor this 
man whose career and accomplishments has been a manifestation of 
Philippine-American friendship and cooperation through the years. Let 
us not dwell upon long forgotten conflicts and altercations. Instead, 
let us move forward and, as we have always done in the past, work 
together in the promotion of our mutual goals.

                          ____________________