[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 3 (Friday, January 25, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E32-E33]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




REAFFIRMING THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND THE 
                      REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. PATSY T. MINK

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 18, 2001

  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. 
Res. 273, reaffirming the special relationship between the U.S. and the 
Republic of the Philippines.
  The Philippine government has committed government troops and vast 
resources towards tracking down and arresting terrorist organizations, 
most notably the Abu Sayaff, the separatist group that is linked to the 
al Queda network and Osama bin Laden. Abu Sayaff

[[Page E33]]

has repeatedly kidnapped foreigners for ransom, including numerous 
Americans, one of whom, Guillermo Sobero, was murdered. Americans 
Martin and Gracia Burnham remain captives of this terrorist group that 
continues to terrify many islands in the southern area of the 
archipelago.
  Although an extension of the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense 
Agreement was rejected by the Philippine Senate in 1991, prompting the 
U.S. to withdraw our troops from the country, the Philippines and the 
U.S. forged a new agreement in 1999 to revive the agreement. The new 
agreement allows U.S. military personnel to enter the Philippines for 
joint training and other cooperative activities. Moreover, the 
agreement re-institutes U.S. military aid programs to the Philippines.
  The agreement is proving very beneficial in the U.S. struggle against 
terrorism. The Philippine government has made all of its military bases 
available to the U.S. for transporting, refueling, and re-suppyling 
troops headed toward Afghanistan. The U.S. has also made good on our 
commitment to eradicate terrorism within the borders of our allies by 
providing the Philippines with military advisors and other military 
assistance to defeat terrorists in the Philippines.
  The U.S. and the Philippines have a strong and special relationship. 
This relationship encompasses more than military and economic 
assistance. It includes an intimate diplomatic relationship dating back 
over 100 years.
  Filipinos were a free people until the Spanish claimed the island 
nation in 1521. Despite numerous uprisings and resistance movements, 
Spain maintained its control over the Philippines until 1898.
  In 1898 the American Navy defeated the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay 
and subsequently began its occupation of the Philippines. Emilio 
Aguinaldo, who had led a resistance movement against the Spanish, 
battled the U.S. when it became clear that America had no interest in 
granting independence to the island nation. After a two year struggle, 
the U.S. captured Emilio Aguinaldo. He agreed to swear allegiance to 
the U.S., and without its leader, the revolutionary effort to gain 
independence quickly came to an end in 1902.
  At the end of the Philippine-American War, the U.S. declared its goal 
to develop a free and democratic government. The U.S. began by creating 
a public education system and a fair legal system. In 1907 the 
Philippines established its first bicameral semi-autonomous 
legislature, structured like the American federal government.
  From 1907 to 1946, a Resident Commissioner represented the 
Philippines in the U.S. Congress. They had no vote and were not allowed 
to serve on standing committees, but were able to participate in debate 
on the House floor. The Philippines became fully independent in 1946, 
at which time the office of the Resident Commissioner was abolished.
  The 1935 Tydings-McDuffie Act outlined the terms for establishing a 
fully independent nation. Filipinos began the ten-year transition 
period to independence by framing a constitution modeled after the 
American Constitution.
  The outbreak of World War II and the subsequent Japanese occupation 
of the Philippines temporarily suspended Filipino dreams for 
independence.
  During World War II, the U.S. treated Filipinos as ``noncitizen 
nationals.'' It gave them some right to self governance, but the U.S. 
federal government reserved the final say over the Philippine 
government's decisions.
  Nearly 200,000 Filipinos responded to President Roosevelt's call to 
arms. From 1941 to 1945, Filipino soldiers fought alongside American 
soldiers. They responded without hesitation to defend their homeland 
and because they were a part of the United States. They defended Bataan 
and Corregidor, which help ensured that General MacArthur could escape 
to Australia. Thousands of Filipino prisoners of war endured the 
infamous Bataan Death March, and many died in prisons.
  After the fall of Bataan and Corregidor, Filipinos formed guerrilla 
groups. These guerrilla forces distracted attention away from U.S. 
troops in the Pacific region who worked to rebuild and respond to 
attacks against American possessions in the Pacific. Filipino veterans 
fought bravely in every major battle and lost their lives defending our 
values of justice and freedom.
  After the war, the U.S. Congress enacted the Armed Forces Voluntary 
Recruitment Act of 1945 to establish the ``New Philippine Scouts.'' 
From 1945 through 1946 the New Philippine Scouts helped defend the 
Philippines as the nation worked to rebuild itself.
  Based on promises from the U.S. government, New Philippine Scouts, 
Commonwealth army veterans, and veterans in recognized guerrilla forces 
expected to receive their full military benefits.
  In October of 1945, General Omar Bradley, then Administrator of the 
Veterans Administration, reaffirmed that they were to be treated like 
any other American veteran and would receive full benefits, but in 1946 
Congress broke our promise to Filipino veterans and revoked their 
benefits by enacting Public Law 70-301. The Rescission Act declared 
that military service rendered by 200,000 Filipinos under Roosevelt's 
Military Order and the guerrilla forces was not official military 
service. The act specifically excluded Filipinos from receiving full 
veterans' benefits unless they had service or combat related injuries.
  The U.S. government enacted the Second Supplemental Surplus 
Appropriation Rescission Act in 1946. It repeated the provisions that 
eliminated Filipino veterans' benefits under the Rescission Act, and it 
placed similar benefit restrictions on New Philippine Scouts.
  The U.S. government has restored partial benefits for some Filipino 
veterans living in America, but New Philippine Scouts and most veterans 
living in the Philippines still do not have the full benefits that were 
promised to them.
  Following the Second World War, America provided assistance as the 
Philippines struggled to create a democratic nation. As promised, the 
Philippines became an independent nation on July 4, 1946.
  In 1986 the people of the Philippines led a peaceful uprising that 
ousted Ferdinand E. Marcos and installed Corazon Aquino as president. 
Throughout the late 1980's President Corazon Aquino re-established 
fundamental values found in America, including civil liberties, freedom 
of speech, freedom of assembly, and a free press.
  Today, over 1.8 million Filipinos reside in the U.S. Many of these 
individuals can trace their ancestry back to the over 100,000 Filipinos 
who migrated to Hawaii between 1910 and 1941 to serve as laborers on 
sugar plantations. Even though many of them returned to the 
Philippines, thousands stayed in Hawaii to become one of the state's 
major ethnic groups.
  Filipinos are the third largest racial group in Hawaii. There are 
currently 275,730 people who listed full or partial Filipino ancestry 
in the 2000 Census, including Governor Benjamin Cayetano and State 
Supreme Court Justices Mario Ramil and Simeon Acoba. The following 
members of the state legislature are Filipino: Senator Robert Bunda, 
Senator Donna Mercado Kim, Senator Lorraine Inouye, Representative 
Felipe Abinsay, Representative Benjamin Cabreros, Representative Willie 
Espero, Representative Nestor Garcia, Representative Michael Magaoay, 
and Representative David Pendleton.
  2001 marks the 50th anniversary of the United States-Philippines 
Mutual Defense Treaty. During this anniversary we must celebrate the 
deep relationship that ties our nations together.
  I urge all Members to support H. Con. Res. 273 to acknowledge the 
Philippines as an important partner in our defense of freedom in the 
Pacific region.

                          ____________________