[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15250]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


             A TRIBUTE TO HONOR THE LIFE OF ALEX ESCLAMADO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 14, 2012

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the life 
of a courageous and legendary community leader, Alex Esclamado, who 
passed away in the Philippines on November 4, 2012. He was held in the 
highest regard, and his name was synonymous with freedom and the fight 
for democracy.
  Alex Esclamado arrived in the United States in 1959, living and 
working in California for decades. As founding publisher of The 
Philippine News and a devoted Filipino community advocate in the United 
States, he championed the key issues of immigration reform, farm 
workers' rights, professional recognition and licensing of foreign 
graduates, and naturalization of World War II Filipino veterans. In the 
United States, Alex Esclamado's biggest battle was against the 
dictatorship of then President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
  In 1997, Alex retired from the daily operations of the newspaper to 
devote his full-time attention to establishing the foundation of 
NaFFAA, whose goals are the national unification of some 3,000 
Filipino-American associations in the United States, the empowerment of 
FilipinoAmericans, and assistance to the Philippines. Alex became the 
founding national chair of NaFFAA and was elected unanimously as the 
first National Chair during the First National Filipino-American 
Empowerment Conference held in Washington D.C. in August 1997, which 
was attended by over 1,500 Filipino-American leaders representing 
associations throughout the United States. He served as National Chair 
from 1997 to 2002. He also served as National President of the Filipino 
American Political Association (FAPA), a political advocacy group since 
1965. In 1998-99, he served as the only Filipino-American member of the 
U.S. Census Advisory Committee on the Asian and Pacific Islander 
Populations.
  Mr. Esclamado's life and work are a lasting example of a true profile 
in courage. His work inspired generations of leaders in the Philippines 
and in the United States. His many honors include a special award for 
his Filipino-American Welfare and Human Rights Advocacy during the 
celebration of the 432nd Araw Ng Maynila, the first Filipino-American 
awardee by the City of Manila. He was honored with the Lifetime 
Achievement Award, and was compared with the inspirational leadership 
of Dr. Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez from the Greenlining 
Institute. He was awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor Award and 
Medal, the highest honor accorded to a civilian in the Philippines, by 
Philippine President Corazon Aquino for ``his distinguished and 
outstanding service to the country during the past 20 years.'' He was 
the only Filipino-American recipient of this award. During the 
centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty in New York in October 
1986, outstanding immigrants were honored for their contributions to 
America. Alex Esclamado was the only Filipino-American recipient of the 
Congressionally-sponsored Ellis Island Medal of Honor along with 79 
other outstanding Americans representing all other nationalities.

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