III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 401 

Recognizing the month of October 2019 as Filipino American History Month 

and celebrating the history and culture of Filipino Americans and their 

immense contributions to the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 31, 2019 

Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. 

CARDIN, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. HARRIS, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. KAINE, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. MENENDEZ, 

Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. SCHATZ, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. WARREN, and Mr. SANDERS) submitted the following resolution; which was 

considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the month of October 2019 as Filipino American 

History Month and celebrating the history and culture 

of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions 

to the United States. 

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 Sen ̃ora de Esperanza, a 

Manila-built galleon ship; 

Whereas the Filipino American National Historical Society 

recognizes 1763 as the year in which the first permanent 


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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 

4,000,000; 

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 


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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, 2019, the 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 demVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:30 Oct 31, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR401.ATS SR401

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onstrate 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 Cha ́vez, Dolores Huerta, and 

other Latino workers; 

Whereas Filipino Americans play an integral role in the 

healthcare system of the United States as nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals; 

Whereas Filipino Americans have contributed 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; 


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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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the celebration of Filipino Amer3 ican History Month in October 2019 as— 

4 (A) a testament to the advancement of Fil5 ipino Americans; 

6 (B) a time to reflect on and remember the 

7 many notable contributions that Filipino Ameri8 cans have made to the United States; and 

9 (C) a time to renew efforts toward the re10 search and examination of history and culture 

11 so as to provide an opportunity for all people of 

12 the United States to learn more about Filipino 

13 Americans and to appreciate the historic con14 tributions of Filipino Americans to the United 

15 States; and 


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1 (2) urges the people of the United States to ob2 serve Filipino American History Month with appro3 priate programs and activities. 

Æ 


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