[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 184 (Sunday, October 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6599-S6600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 761--RECOGNIZING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2020 AS 
FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH AND CELEBRATING THE HISTORY AND CULTURE 
  OF FILIPINO AMERICANS AND THEIR IMMENSE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED 
                                 STATES

  Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. Booker, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Cortez Masto, 
Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Harris, Mr. Kaine, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sanders, Mr. 
Schatz, Ms. Smith, Ms. Warren, and Mrs. Murray) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 761

       Whereas the earliest documented Filipino presence in the 
     continental United States was October 18, 1587, when the 
     first ``Luzones Indios'' arrived in Morro Bay, California, on 
     board the Nuestra Senora de Esperanza, a Manila-built galleon 
     ship;
       Whereas the Filipino American National Historical Society 
     recognizes 1763 as the year in which the first permanent 
     Filipino settlement in the United States was established in 
     St. Malo, Louisiana;
       Whereas the recognition of the first permanent Filipino 
     settlement in the United States adds a new perspective to the 
     history of the United States by bringing attention to the 
     economic, cultural, social, and other notable contributions 
     made by Filipino Americans to the development of the United 
     States;
       Whereas the Filipino American community is the third 
     largest Asian American and Pacific Islander group in the 
     United States, with a population of approximately 4,100,000;
       Whereas, from the Civil War to the Iraq and Afghanistan 
     conflicts, Filipinos and Filipino Americans have a 
     longstanding history of serving in the Armed Forces of the 
     United States;
       Whereas more than 250,000 Filipinos fought under the United 
     States flag during World War II to protect and defend the 
     United States in the Pacific theater;
       Whereas a guarantee to pay back the service of Filipinos 
     through veterans benefits was reversed by the First 
     Supplemental Surplus Appropriation Rescission Act, 1946 
     (Public Law 79-301; 60 Stat. 6) and the Second Supplemental 
     Surplus Appropriation Rescission Act, 1946 (Public Law 79-
     391; 60 Stat. 221), which provided that the wartime service 
     of members of the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines and 
     the new Philippine Scouts shall not be deemed to have been 
     active service, and, therefore, those members did not qualify 
     for certain benefits;
       Whereas 26,000 Filipino World War II veterans were granted 
     United States citizenship as a result of the Immigration Act 
     of 1990 (Public Law 101-649; 104 Stat. 4978), which was 
     signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on November 29, 
     1990;
       Whereas, on February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama 
     signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 
     2009 (Public Law 111-5; 123 Stat. 115), which established the 
     Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund to compensate 
     Filipino World War II veterans for their service to the 
     United States;
       Whereas, since June 8, 2016, the Filipino World War II 
     Veterans Parole Program has allowed Filipino World War II 
     veterans and certain family members to be reunited more 
     expeditiously than the immigrant visa process allowed at that 
     time, but, on August 2,

[[Page S6600]]

     2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced its 
     intention to terminate the program;
       Whereas, on December 14, 2016, President Barack Obama 
     signed into law the Filipino Veterans of World War II 
     Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-265; 130 
     Stat. 1376) to award Filipino veterans who fought alongside 
     troops of the United States in World War II the highest 
     civilian honor bestowed by Congress;
       Whereas, on October 25, 2017, the Congressional Gold Medal 
     was presented to Filipino World War II veterans in 
     Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Building, a recognition for 
     which the veterans had waited for more than 70 years;
       Whereas Filipino Americans have received the Congressional 
     Medal of Honor, the highest award for valor in action against 
     an enemy force that may be bestowed on an individual serving 
     in the Armed Forces, and continue to demonstrate a 
     commendable sense of patriotism and honor in the Armed 
     Forces;
       Whereas the late Thelma Garcia Buchholdt, born in Claveria, 
     Cagayan, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines--
       (1) moved with her family to Alaska in 1965;
       (2) was elected to the House of Representatives of Alaska 
     in 1974;
       (3) was the first Filipino woman elected to a State 
     legislature; and
       (4) authored a comprehensive history book entitled 
     ``Filipinos in Alaska: 1788-1958'';
       Whereas Filipino American farmworkers and labor leaders, 
     such as Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Itliong, played an 
     integral role in the multiethnic United Farm Workers 
     movement, alongside Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and other 
     Latino workers;
       Whereas, on April 25, 2012, President Barack Obama 
     nominated Lorna G. Schofield to be a United States District 
     Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern 
     District of New York, and she was confirmed by the Senate on 
     December 13, 2012, to be the first Filipino American in 
     United States history to serve as an Article III Federal 
     judge;
       Whereas Filipino Americans play an integral role on the 
     frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in the healthcare system 
     of the United States as nurses, doctors, first responders, 
     and other medical professionals;
       Whereas Filipino Americans contribute greatly to music, 
     dance, literature, education, business, journalism, sports, 
     fashion, politics, government, science, technology, the fine 
     arts, and other fields that enrich the United States;
       Whereas, as mandated in the mission statement of the 
     Filipino American National Historical Society, efforts should 
     continue to promote the study of Filipino American history 
     and culture because the roles of Filipino Americans and other 
     people of color have largely been overlooked in the writing, 
     teaching, and learning of the history of the United States;
       Whereas it is imperative for Filipino American youth to 
     have positive role models to instill--
       (1) the significance of education, complemented by the 
     richness of Filipino American ethnicity; and
       (2) the value of the Filipino American legacy; and
       Whereas it is essential to promote the understanding, 
     education, and appreciation of the history and culture of 
     Filipino Americans in the United States: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History 
     Month in October 2020 as--
       (A) a testament to the advancement of Filipino Americans;
       (B) a time to reflect on and remember the many notable 
     contributions that Filipino Americans have made to the United 
     States; and
       (C) a time to renew efforts toward the research and 
     examination of history and culture so as to provide an 
     opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more 
     about Filipino Americans and to appreciate the historic 
     contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States; and
       (2) urges the people of the United States to observe 
     Filipino American History Month with appropriate programs and 
     activities.

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