Filipino Veterans Fairness Act

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 622) to recognize and honor the Filipino World War II veterans for their defense of democratic ideals and their important contribution to the outcome of World War II, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of House Resolution 622, which recognizes and honors Filipino World War II veterans for their important contributions to the victorious outcome of World War II.

This resolution notes that the prior history of the Philippines as a United States territory, then as a self-governing commonwealth, during which time the Filipino Armed Forces were called into service under the command of General Douglas MacArthur in July 1941. Those servicemen fought with gallantry and courage, and thousands gave their lives resisting Japanese aggression and occupation. House Resolution 622 honors those Filipino veterans for their valiant fight, for the liberation of their homeland, and for their defense of democratic ideals.

I commend the cochair of the Philippine Caucus, the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa), for introducing this long overdue resolution. It was moved forward with the strong support of the chairman of the House International Relations Committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde).

My colleagues may not be aware that Chairman Hyde was a combat veteran of the Philippine campaign in World War II, and he piloted a landing craft

in the January 1945 landing that marked the beginning of the liberation of Luzon.

Madam Speaker, I submit for printing in the Congressional Record a copy of an article from the September 10, 2006, edition of Philippine Panorama, the leading weekly news magazine in the Philippines

[From the Philippine Panorama, Sept. 10, 2006]

Memories of Lingayen

(By Beth Day Romulo)

Henry Hyde, chairman of the US House International

Relations Committee, led a group of four congressmen,

including Melvin Watt of North Carolina, Dana Rohrabacher of

California, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Eni Faleomavaega of

Samoa, on a visit to the Philippines (August 11th to 15th) to

assess security in this country, discuss trade relations and,

in the case of the 82-year old chairman, he hoped to visit

with fellow veterans of World War Two, and see Lingayen Gulf

again.

As a college freshman at Georgetown University, Hyde

enlisted in the Navy in 1942. Why the Navy? He had never been

to sea but liked the idea of ``a nice clean ship'' in

comparison to life in a trench. ``It didn't occur to me that

ships sink,'' he recalled wryly in an interview at the Makati

Shangri-la Hotel where the group were staying. After an

officers training program at Duke University, he attended a

90-day midshipmen's school at Notre Dame and won his

commission as an Ensign in October 1944. Told that he would

go to commanders school at Harvard, he bought new blue

uniforms as befit the occasion which he never wore, since his

orders were suddenly changed and he was sent to sea in the

Pacific theater, as part of the operation to liberate the

Philippines.

Having never been at sea before, he became deathly seasick

on his first night out of San Francisco, recovered on the

third day and was fortunately never seasick again despite the

fact that the Liberty ship took 30 days to reach Hollandia,

New Guinea, zigzagging to miss Japanese submarines.

Joining the flotilla of supply ships offshore of the

Philippines in January 1945, young Ensign Hyde was assigned

command of an amphibious Landing Craft Tank (LCT), a flat-

bottomed vessel with a ramp that could tow supplies to shore

and unload on beaches. He had 12 crew members, all

considerably older than he, so ``I grew a full beard.'' The

big ships couldn't come ashore, so it was the duty of the LCT

to load from the big ships (``at night and we couldn't use

lights'') everything from trucks (LCT could carry five at a

time) weapons, ammunition, supplies, and occasionally

personnel. By this time, General MacArthur had made his

historic landing at Leyte and by March 1945, the Americans

controlled Manila and Subic Bay and the Japanese army had

withdrawn to the North.

After two or three days at sea, water washed over the craft

and filled the pontoons. The radio man was frantically

calling ``we are sinking'' to the towing vessel and signaling

with the blinker. Hyde recalls with wry humor that he was

running around with a mattress ``trying to hold back the

South China Sea.'' Eventually, the tow ship got the message

and cut loose the lines which dragged down the LCT, and they

limped into Lingayen.

Sent on a special mission to Aparri on the northern tip of

Luzon, they arrived at a beach which had no grading. ``It was

like a wall.'' They couldn't move onto shore, so came in as

close as they could. The deserted beach suddenly swarmed with

people who came out from the trees and bushes and waded out

to unload their cargo. They were guerillas in dire need of

supplies.

While not engaging in combat, the LCT was often under fire

from enemy aircraft who dropped bombs near them ``but we were

too busy to notice.''

At another time, Hyde's LCT was given a special mission to

salvage the supplies from a Liberty Ship which had foundered

on rocks and was lying on its side. They were sent, he found

later, because a typhoon was coming and military brass didn't

want to lose all the cargo. A destroyer escort took the LCT

out to the grounded ship, then disappeared. They tied up to

the starboard, started loading and the typhoon hit before

they were finished. ``This taught me what real terror

means.'' The LCT was banging helplessly against the ship. The

wind blew off the conning tower and Hyde was convinced he

would lose both his craft and his men. They donned their

lifejackets, fully expecting to be washed overboard. ``I'll

never forget it,'' Hyde recalled. ``The sky was green. The

sea was green. And our complexions were green.''

Eventually, they were able to cut the lines free from the

ship, and Ensign Hyde guided his craft through the swelling

seas. in the direction he thought he would lead to Subic Bay.

He was in luck. After all-night winds and heavy swells,

dawn came. The storm was gone. And they could see Subic

Bay. They unloaded their cargo. The LCT was repaired, and

they headed back to the grounded ship for a second load.

Getting out all the supplies and transporting them to.

Subic Bay took a week in all.

Lighter moments came when the administrative ship in the

flotilla distributed mail from home, and when they had shore

leave. After Manila was liberated, there was ``a great

officers club'' where we sat around, sipped beer, and told

football stories. Sometimes, they played basketball with

college students.

Hyde remembers spending his 21st birthday walking alone on

the beach at Lingayen, wondering if he would ever see home

again. Other young officers, with wives and children awaiting

them, were allowed to' leave first. He was finally sent home

in August 1946. When the ship was nearing San Francisco, he

rose at 3 a.m. and went out on deck to wait for the sight of

the lights on the bridge of San Francisco loom through the

mist. ``It was the happiest moment of my life.''

When he had first sailed on the Liberty ship for the

Philippines, a submarine was just coming in from the South

China Sea, and the men coming and going waved at one another.

He wondered then what they had experienced. Now, he knew.

Congressman Hyde was able to greet a large number of

Philippine veterans at a wreath-laying ceremony at the

American Cemetery in Ft. Bonifacio, some of whom had called

upon him in his home constancy. He was also awarded the

Philippine Liberation Medal by AFP Major General Horacio

Tolentino in a ceremony on August 12th in recognition of his

service during the Liberation of the Philippines.

Discovering the difficulties of getting to Lingayen by

land, he flew over it instead, which inspired these memories.

The article profiles Chairman Hyde's service in the Philippines and describes, among many others things, his interaction with Filipino servicemen who were waging a guerilla campaign against the Imperial Japanese Army at that time.

I am grateful to have this opportunity today to express our appreciation to those veterans, both Filipino and Americans, who are with us. This resolution is a fitting tribute to their heroism and sacrifice and deserves our unanimous support.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I also have no other requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank Congressman Lantos for your leadership in the fight for benefits, and your chairman, Mr. Hyde, and the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Issa. Along with my colleague from San Diego County, Mr. Issa, we chair the Congressional U.S.-Philippines Caucus, and Mr. Issa is the prime sponsor of the equity bill which you talked about, H.R. 4574, to bring real justice to our Filipino American and Filipino veterans.

We all know, or we all should know, the impact of the Filipino soldiers on World War II. They endured the original Japanese advance. They held them up far beyond their calendar, allowed MacArthur and the U.S. Army to have more time. As guerillas, they kept the Japanese busy for the 4 years that they were occupied, and then helped prepare the way for General MacArthur's return and our eventual victory in the Pacific.

We know their great contribution to American history, but we have repaid this great contribution with words. My friend, the doctor from Florida, said this is a long overdue resolution, and it is a fitting tribute.

Well, 10 years ago this body, or 10 years ago, President Clinton said this same thing: I urge all Americans to recall the courage, sacrifice and loyalty of Filipino veterans of World War II and honor them. Five years ago President Bush sent his greetings, which said the same thing: We thank you all for this work.

But nobody since 1946 has done what President Truman tried to say: I consider it a moral obligation of the United States to look after the welfare of the Filipino Army veterans. They were drafted into the American Army. They were promised benefits.

But in 1946, this Congress, only Mr. Lantos was here, I think, at the time, this Congress passed a Rescissions Act, which cut the benefits and cut the recognition that they were promised by President Roosevelt and President Truman.

This is wrong, my colleagues; and yet Mr. Issa, as the sponsor of this resolution, also is the sponsor of the real answer to this situation and the real tribute that we could pay to these veterans, all of whom now are in their 80s. They are a rapidly dwindling band of patriots. What they want is honor and dignity, and that is provided by H.R. 4574, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act. I hope that Mr. Lantos is right, that this resolution will pave the way. I am afraid it will be an excuse for not doing anything more.

Let us pass this resolution. It helps educate us and our constituents about the role of the Filipino veterans in World War II. But let us go further. Let us pass the Filipino Veterans Equity Act, which provides access to health care and access to pensions of those Filipinos who are eligible.

They don't have long to live, Madam Speaker. They want the honor and dignity that was denied them after World War II. So let us give a fitting tribute and let us do a long overdue action of this Congress. Let us pass H.R. 4574, which will be our true tribute to these brave men.

I thank Mr. Issa for introducing this resolution. Let us approve it, but let us move on beyond this and truly recognize those who contributed so much to this Nation's freedom and independence.

Madam Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor and strong supporter of H. Res. 622, a resolution to recognize and honor the Filipino World War II veterans for their defense of democratic ideals and their important contribution to the outcome of World War II. As a member of the U.S. Philippines Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I am pleased that the House of Representatives is considering this important resolution and urge its passage.

Just this past weekend, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the President of the Republic of Philippines, visited my home State of Hawaii and unveiled at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific a commemorative marker honoring Filipinos and Americans who served in World War II. President Macapagal-Arroyo's presence underlines the continuing closeness and importance of the relationship between our two countries.

With more Filipino-Americans in my district than any other congressional district in the country, I was pleased that President George W. Bush, at my request, wrote a message on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of Filipino migration to Hawaii. We must also continue to celebrate and thank the early Filipino migrants who came to work in the sugar plantations of Hawaii and those who fought in support of the United States in World War II.

But there is still much more to be done in support of these brave individuals.

I have introduced legislation in both the 108th and l09th Congresses advancing the interests of the families of our Filipino World War II veterans, many of whom are still waiting in the Philippines to be reunited with their loved ones living in the United States. Earlier this Congress, I reintroduced the bill (H.R. 901) that provides for the sons and daughters of our Filipino World War II veterans to receive priority preference in their respective immigration categories.

Because of the grassroots support by many in Hawaii and across the country and in the Philippines, I am proud to say that Congress is on the verge of successfully advancing legislation that will enable the children of our Filipino World War II veterans to join their parents in the United States. The objectives of H.R. 901 were included in the Senate's version of comprehensive immigration reform legislation. I continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to secure this provision in conference or to pass the free-standing bill.

With the waning days of the 109th Congress upon us, we must stay vigilant and continue to urge Congress to make this and all issues affecting Filipino veterans a high priority in our busy Congressional schedule. I urge Congress to pass H. Res. 622 and to also consider H.R. 901 before the adjournment of the 109th Congress.

Madam Speaker, I commend the Gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) for introducing this important measure. I ask all members to not only support this important resolution, but to also continue to support the full federal recognition and accessibility of benefits for Filipino veterans.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

I first would like to commend my California colleague Darrell Issa for introducing this important measure. I also want to thank the chairman of our committee Henry Hyde for letting this resolution move to the floor so expeditiously.

Madam Speaker, the measure before the House honors the contributions of Filipino Americans during the Second World War. You might be surprised to learn that I represent the largest concentration of Filipinos outside of Manila. Among my constituents are tens of thousands of Filipino American families, so it is with great pleasure that I cosponsor this legislation and serve as the Democratic manager of this resolution on the floor today.

Filipino Americans have made an enormous contribution to the cultural, political and economic life of my congressional district, particularly in the community of Daly City. Outside of Honolulu, Daly City is the largest city in the United States with a majority Asian population, and most of this population is Filipino American.

Their contributions to our Nation are not a recent phenomenon. More than 120,000 Filipinos fought under the command of General Douglas MacArthur during World War II. Filipino soldiers played a critical role in stopping the Japanese advance throughout the Pacific. During 3 long years of Japanese occupation, Filipinos helped to liberate their homeland and ultimately to defeat the Japanese warmaking machine.

That is why I am so pleased that we are moving forward with this resolution honoring the contributions of Filipino World War II veterans, many of whom are still with us.

It is my strong hope that passage of this measure will pave the way for congressional consideration of the long overdue Filipino Veterans Equity Act. This important legislation would allow Filipino veterans to become eligible for a range of United States veterans benefits currently reserved for former Active Duty military personnel.

Given the enormous contributions made by the Filipinos to the war in the Pacific, it is imperative that Filipino veterans finally receive the benefits they deserve.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to a fighter for Filipino veterans rights, my friend and colleague from California (Mr. Filner)

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to my good friend and distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. I rise in strong support of this resolution.

On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan attacked not only Pearl Harbor, but also Clark Airfield in the Philippines. Tens of thousands of Americans died that day, but also thousands of Filipino soldiers lost their lives. This one act of war united the American and Filipino people in the noble cause of ending tyranny in the Pacific.

In 1946, President Harry Truman cited that during the war the Philippine Army veterans ``fought with gallantry and courage under the most difficult conditions.'' He also declared that it was the ``moral obligation of the United States to look after the welfare of the Philippine Army veterans.'' In fact, it was with that promise that many of the veterans joined our military efforts, many losing their lives, others suffering lifetime injuries.

Our promise, however, remains unfulfilled. We promised to make them eligible for veterans benefits, but, unfortunately, in 1946, Congress withdrew those benefits.

Now, nearly 60 years later, our Filipino veterans are still looking to see our promise fulfilled. We saw some progress in 2003 when we passed the Veterans Benefit Act, which increased VA benefits for U.S. residents who are Filipino veterans and made the new Philippine Scouts living in the United States eligible for burial in VA national cemeteries.

The United States is indebted to the 120,000 Filipino veterans of World War II for their extraordinary sacrifices. While we can never fully repay our veterans for the sacrifices made on our behalf, today we stop to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom and to thank those who are still with us for their courage and dedication to our country.

Although no longer a territory of the United States, the Philippines and the United States are bound by the countless sacrifices the Filipino veterans made during World War II. We are also bound by countless contributions and achievements of Americans of Filipino descent in every field of human endeavor, including the sciences, business, education, medicine, the arts, athletics, and government.

As the only Member of Congress with any Filipino ancestry, I am honored to come before the House today to honor the Filipino veterans of World War II and urge my colleagues not only to support this resolution, but to also pass legislation to grant the Filipino veterans the equity that they were promised