[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16616-16617]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE SERVICE AND LIFE OF FILEMON ``MEMOY'' CABASAL DANTES 
                                 ALINEA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 25, 2017

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Filemon 
``Memoy'' Cabasal Dantes Alinea, Sr., and the accomplishments of this 
distinguished gentleman. Filemon was living in the Philippines and 
attending Mapua Engineering College when WWII broke out. Upon the news 
of the war, Filemon immediately gathered his sisters from their college 
dorms and brought them back to Cabangan, Zambales to be reunited with 
their parents. He then enlisted and joined the military, where he held 
a position in the Filipino Army.
  During his service in WWII, Filemon was captured by the Japanese, 
tortured as a prisoner of war, and forced to dig his own grave. Luckily 
he was rescued. After the war, he reunited with his family and waited 
for his college to reopen, at which point he returned to Mapua 
Engineering College to finish his undergraduate studies. Upon 
completion of his degree in mechanical engineering, Filemon graduated 
as one of the top students in his class and scored among the highest on 
his engineering board exams. This marked the beginning of a long and 
distinguished engineering career.
  Filemon's engineering career started when he was a junior engineer 
assigned to the Caliraya Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant in Caliraya, 
Laguna. He then became the Chief Engineer for Marcelo Fertilizer Plant 
and then Chief Engineer of Union Carbide in Iligan City. After this 
point, brilliant as he was in his career, Filemon was recruited by 
PHINMA, a huge conglomerate in the Philippines, where he became their 
Chief Engineer and Project Manager. In this position, his leadership 
and building expertise led him to oversee a multitude of expansion and 
infrastructure projects, including the building and construction of a 
cement plant and steel plant in Davao, a steel

[[Page 16617]]

plant in Cebu, and a pulp and paper plant in Bulacan.
  At this point in Filemon's career, he was brought on to the team at 
the PHINMA Corporate Headquarters in Makati. During this time, Filemon 
decided that the corporate environment of wearing suits and attending 
board meetings was not for him, and decided to go work for Roblett, an 
international engineering company. It was at Roblett where he completed 
the final project of his career, the Mosul Dam in Iraq.
  Upon his retirement, Filemon, petitioned by his two daughters who had 
come for graduate school, immigrated to the United States. During 
retirement, he enjoyed traveling, touring, fishing and spending time 
with his family, which included his 6 children and 9 grandchildren. In 
1992, Filemon passed away from cancer, may he rest in peace.
  He is survived today by his dear wife Beatriz, his 5 remaining 
children, and his 8 remaining grandchildren. He is beloved and 
remembered by his family, relatives, and those whose lives he touched 
for his service during WWII and many throughout the world from his 
engineering career. He had helped a lot of his relatives, friends, and 
``kababayan'' to find work wherever he had a project to build.
  Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a man 
who made immense sacrifices for his country and his family through 
service during WWII, as well as contributions made during his 
distinguished career as an engineer. It is both fitting and appropriate 
that we recognize a man who endured hardships for the betterment of 
others, served his country with distinction, and went on to leave a 
legacy through his family and his life's work as he is honored for his 
service. I join the family of Filemon ``Memoy'' Cabasal Dantes Alinea, 
Sr. and wish them the best as we honor his service with the 
Congressional Gold Medal along with the other Filipino veterans of 
World War II.

                          ____________________