[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 14, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE YOUNG MEN'S LEAGUE OF GUAM FOR SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

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                       HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 14, 2007

  Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise to commend the members of the 
Young Men's League of Guam, the YMLG, for their service to our 
community for over 90 years. YMLG is perhaps the oldest, active non-
profit organizations in my home district, continuing to provide 
dedicated and honorable volunteer service to this day. The YMLG 
contributes immensely to help the homeless, the medically indigent, and 
less fortunate in Guam, as well as the elderly at St. Dominic's 
Geriatric Care Facility. They also support and assist other charity 
organizations.
  Since its founding in 1917, the Young Men's League of Guam has 
remained true to its mission to uphold and defend the principles of 
good government by instilling among its members a sense of individual 
obligation to our community, as well as fostering and promoting 
friendship, camaraderie, closer understanding and respect among 
themselves as unique equals. Also known proudly as ``I Inetnon Lalahen 
Guahan,'' the Young Men's League of Guam continues to be a strong 
proponent for the preservation and advancement of the indigenous 
culture, language, heritage and traditions of the Chamorros of Guam and 
the Marianas. YMLG annually sponsors the ``Silabrasion Chamorro'' 
Student Oratorical, Essay, and Writing Competitions.
  As its name proclaims, the Young Men's League of Guam has always 
sought to harness the talents and instill a sense of community 
obligation among up-and-coming young men as they take their places in 
our society. Educational and Recreational promotion of youth continues 
through scholarships, financial contributions, and sponsorships. Today, 
many members continue active membership, even though they are well into 
their senior years.
  Madam Speaker, YMLG's membership roster is a ``Who's Who'' of 20th 
Century Guam history. Indeed, the legacies of its charter officers--Mr. 
Leon Flores, president; Mr. Jose Duenas, vice president; Mr. Manuel 
Ulloa, secretary; Mr. Adriano Cristobal; and Mr. Vicente Arriola, 
librarian/historian--live on through their offspring and beyond. 
President Flores was the father of Guam's first Roman Catholic bishop 
and archbishop, the late Felixberto C. Flores. Vice President Duenas 
was the father of retired U.S. District Court Judge Cristobal C. Duenas 
and the brother of Father Jesus Baza Duenas, who was executed during 
the occupation of Guam in WorId War II. Secretary Ulloa was a prominent 
and a long-time island educator. Treasurer Cristobal was the 
grandfather of Superior Court Presiding Judge Alberto C. Lamorena; and 
YMLG Historian Arriola was the father of former Speaker Joaquin C. 
Arriola. Indeed, all the Chamorro Governors of Guam, appointed and 
elected, were members of the Young Men's League of Guam at some point 
in their public careers. They include the late Joseph Flores, the late 
Manuel F.L. Guerrero, and the late Carlos G. Camacho, father of our 
current governor, Felix P. Camacho, who is a YMLG member himself. 
Former governors Paul M. Calvo, Joseph F. Ada, and Carl T.C. Gutierrez 
were YMLG members as well. My late husband, Ricardo J. Bordallo, who 
served two terms as governor of Guam, and my late father-in-law, 
Balthazar J. Bordallo, who served in both the pre-war bicameral Guam 
Congress, as Chairman of the upper House of Council, and the postwar 
Guam Legislature, were lifelong members, as was Governor Calvo's 
father, Eduardo T. Calvo, and Francisco B. Leon Guerrero, who, with my 
father-in-law, was known as the fathers of the Organic Act of Guam.

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