PUBLIC LAW 114–265—DEC. 14, 2016 

FILIPINO VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II 

CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT OF 2015 


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130 STAT. 1376 PUBLIC LAW 114–265—DEC. 14, 2016 

Public Law 114–265 

114th Congress 

An Act 

To award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the Filipino veterans of 

World War II, in recognition of the dedicated service of the veterans during 

World War II. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Filipino Veterans of World 

War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

Congress finds the following: 

(1) The First Philippine Republic was founded as a result 

of the Spanish-American War in which Filipino revolutionaries 

and the United States Armed Forces fought to overthrow 

Spanish colonial rule. On June 12, 1898, Filipinos declared 

the Philippines to be an independent and sovereign nation. 

The Treaty of Paris negotiated between the United States and 

Spain ignored this declaration of independence, and the United 

States paid Spain $20,000,000 to cede control of the Philippines 

to the United States. Filipino nationalists who sought independence rather than a change in colonial rulers clashed with forces 

of the United States in the Islands. The Philippine-American 

War, which officially lasted for 3 years from 1899 to 1902, 

led to the establishment of the United States civil government 

in the Philippines. 

(2) In 1901, units of Filipino soldiers who fought for the 

United States against the nationalist insurrection were formally 

incorporated into the United States Army as the Philippine 

Scouts. 

(3) In 1934, the Philippine Independence Act (Public Law 

73–127; 48 Stat. 456) established a timetable for ending colonial 

rule of the United States. Between 1934 and Philippine 

independence in 1946, the United States retained sovereignty 

over Philippine foreign policy and reserved the right to call 

Filipinos into the service of the United States Armed Forces. 

(4) On December 21 1935, President of the Philippine 

Commonwealth, Manuel Quezon, signed the National Defense 

Act, passed by the Philippine Assembly. General Douglas MacArthur set upon the task of creating an independent army 

in the Philippines, consisting of a small regular force, the 

Philippine Constabulary, a police force created during the colonial period of the United States, and reservists. By July 1941, 

the Philippine army had 130,000 reservists and 6,000 officers. 

Filipino Veterans 

of World War II 

Congressional 

Gold Medal Act 

of 2015. 

31 USC 5111 

note. 

Dec. 14, 2016 

[S. 1555] 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–265—DEC. 14, 2016 130 STAT. 1377 

(5) On July 26, 1941, as tensions with Japan rose in the 

Pacific, President Franklin D. Roosevelt used his authority 

vested in the Constitution of the United States and the Philippine Independence Act to ‘‘call into service of the United 

States . . . all of the organized military forces of the Government of the Philippines.’’ On July 27th, 1941, in accordance 

with a War Department directive received a day earlier, the 

United States Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) was established, and Manila was designated as the command headquarters. Commander of the USAFFE, General Douglas MacArthur, planned to absorb the entire Philippine army into the 

USAFFE in phases. The first phase, which began on September 

1, 1941, included 25,000 men and 4,000 officers. 

(6) Filipinos who served in the USAFFE included— 

(A) the Philippine Scouts, who comprised half of the 

22,532 soldiers in the Philippine Department, or United 

States Army garrison stationed in the Islands at the start 

of the war; 

(B) the Philippine Commonwealth Army; 

(C) the new Philippine Scouts, or Filipinos who volunteered to serve with the United States Army when the 

United States Armed Forces returned to the island; 

(D) Filipino civilians who volunteered to serve in the 

United States Armed Forces in 1945 and 1946, and who 

became ‘‘attached’’ to various units of the United States 

Army; and 

(E) the ‘‘Guerrilla Services’’ who had fought behind 

enemy lines throughout the war. 

(7) Even after hostilities ceased, wartime service of the 

new Philippine Scouts continued as a matter of law until the 

end of 1946, and the force gradually disbanded until it was 

disestablished in 1950. 

(8) On December 8th, 1941, not even 24 hours after the 

bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese Imperial forces attacked 

bases of the United States Army in the Philippines. 

(9) In the spring of 1942, the Japanese 14th Army overran 

the Bataan Peninsula, and, after a heroic but futile defense, 

more than 78,000 members of the United States Armed Forces 

were captured, specifically 66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 service 

members from the United States. The Japanese transferred 

the captured soldiers from Bataan to Camp O’Donnell, in what 

is now known as the infamous Bataan Death March. Forced 

to march the 70-mile distance in 1 week, without adequate 

food, water, or medicine, nearly 700 members of the United 

States Armed Forces and an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 Filipinos 

perished during the journey. 

(10) After the fall of the Bataan Peninsula, the Japanese 

Army turned its sights on Corregidor. The estimated forces 

in defense of Corregidor totaled 13,000, and were comprised 

of members of the United States Armed Forces and Filipino 

troops. Of this number, 800 were killed, 1,000 were wounded, 

and 11,000 were captured and forced to march through the 

city of Manila, after which the captured troops were distributed 

to various POW camps. The rest of the captured troops escaped 

to organize or join an underground guerrilla army. 

(11) Even before the fall of Corregidor, Philippine resistance, in the form of guerrilla armies, began to wage warfare 


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130 STAT. 1378 PUBLIC LAW 114–265—DEC. 14, 2016 

on the Japanese invaders. Guerrilla armies, from Northern 

Luzon to Mindanao— 

(A) raided Japanese camps, stealing weapons and supplies; 

(B) sabotaged and ambushed Japanese troops on the 

move; and 

(C) with little weaponry, and severely outmatched in 

numbers, began to extract victories. 

(12) Japanese intelligence reports reveal that from the 

time the Japanese invaded until the return of the United States 

Armed Forces in the summer of 1944, an estimated 300,000 

Filipinos continued to fight against Japanese forces. Filipino 

resistance against the Japanese was so strong that, in 1942, 

the Imperial Army formed the Morista Butai, a unit designated 

to suppress guerrillas. 

(13) Because Philippine guerrillas worked to restore 

communication with United States forces in the Pacific, General 

MacArthur was able to use the guerrillas in advance of a 

conventional operation and provided the headquarters of General MacArthur with valuable information. Guerrillas captured 

and transmitted to the headquarters of General MacArthur 

Japanese naval plans for the Central Pacific, including defense 

plans for the Mariana Islands. Intelligence derived from guerrillas relating to aircraft, ship, and troop movements allowed 

for Allied forces to attack Japanese supply lines and guerrillas 

and even directed United States submarines where to land 

agents and cargo on the Philippine coast. 

(14) On December 20, 1941, President Roosevelt signed 

the Selective Training and Service Amendments Act (Public 

Law 77–360; 55 Stat. 844) which, among other things, allowed 

Filipinos in the United States to enlist in the United States 

Armed Forces. In February 1942, President Roosevelt issued 

the Second War Powers Act (Public Law 77–507; 56 Stat. 176), 

promising a simplified naturalization process for Filipinos who 

served in the United States Armed Forces. Subsequently, 

16,000 Filipinos in California alone decided to enlist. 

(15) The mobilization of forces included the activation and 

assumption of command of the First Filipino Infantry Battalion 

on April 1, 1942, at Camp San Luis Obispo, California. Orders 

were issued to activate the First Filipino Infantry Regiment 

and Band at Salinas, California, effective July 13, 1942. The 

activation of the Second Filipino Infantry Regiment occurred 

at Fort Ord, California, on November 21, 1942. Nearly 9,000 

Filipinos and Filipino Americans fought in the United States 

Army 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments. 

(16) Soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments participated in the bloody combat and mop-up operations at New 

Guinea, Leyte, Samar, Luzon, and the Southern Philippines. 

In 1943, 800 men were selected from the 1st and 2nd Regiments 

and shipped to Australia to receive training in intelligence 

gathering, sabotage, and demolition. Reorganized as part of 

the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, this group was sent to the 

Philippines to coordinate with major guerrilla armies in the 

Islands. Members of the 1st Regiment were also attached to 

the United States 6th Army ‘‘Alamo Scouts’’, a reconnaissance 

group that traveled 30 miles behind enemy lines to free Allied 

prisoners from the Cabanatuan death camp on January 30, 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–265—DEC. 14, 2016 130 STAT. 1379 

1945. In addition, in 1945, according to the 441st Counter 

Intelligence Unit of the United States Armed Forces, Philippine 

guerrillas provided ‘‘very important information and sketches 

of enemy positions and installations’’ for the liberation of the 

Santo Tomas prisoner of war camp, an event that made front 

page news across the United States. 

(17) In March 1944, members of the 2nd Filipino Infantry 

Regiment were selected for special assignments, including intelligence missions, and reorganized as the 2nd Filipino Infantry 

Battalion (Separate). The 2nd Filipino Infantry Battalion (Separate) contributed to mop-up operations as a civil affairs unit. 

(18) Filipinos participated in the war out of national pride, 

as well as out of a commitment to the Allied forces struggle 

against fascism. 57,000 Filipinos in uniform died in the war 

effort. Estimates of civilian deaths range from 700,000 to 

upwards of 1,000,000, or between 4.38 to 6.25 percent of the 

prewar population of 16,000,000. 

(19) Because Filipinos who served in the Commonwealth 

Army of the Philippines were originally considered a part of 

the Allied struggle, the military order issued by President Roosevelt on July 26, 1941, stated that Filipinos who served in 

the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines were entitled to 

full veterans benefits. The guarantee to pay back the service 

of Filipinos through veterans benefits was reversed by the 

Rescission Acts of 1946 (Public Laws 79–301 and 79–391; 60 

Stat. 6 and 60 Stat. 221), which deemed that the wartime 

service of the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines and 

the new Philippine Scouts was not considered active and, therefore, did not qualify for benefits. 

(20) The loyal and valiant Filipino Veterans of World War 

II fought, suffered, and, in many instances, died in the same 

manner and under the same commander as other members 

of the United States Armed Forces during World War II. 

(21) The Filipino Veterans of World War II fought alongside, and as an integral part of, the United States Armed 

Forces. The Philippines remained a territory of the United 

States for the duration of the war and, accordingly, the United 

States maintained sovereignty over Philippine foreign relations, 

including Philippine laws enacted by the Philippine Government. Filipinos who fought in the Philippines were not only 

defending or fighting for the Philippines, but also defending, 

and ultimately liberating, sovereign territory held by the United 

States Government. 

(22) The United States remains forever indebted to the 

bravery, valor, and dedication that the Filipino Veterans of 

World War II displayed. Their commitment and sacrifice demonstrates a highly uncommon and commendable sense of 

patriotism and honor. 

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act— 

(a) the term ‘‘Filipino Veterans of World War II’’ includes any 

individual who served— 

(1) honorably at any time during the period beginning 

on July 26, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946; 

(2) in an active-duty status under the command of the 

United States Armed Forces in the Far East; and 

Time period. 


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130 STAT. 1380 PUBLIC LAW 114–265—DEC. 14, 2016 

(3)(A) within the Philippine Commonwealth Army, the Philippine Scouts, the Philippine Constabulary, Recognized Guerrilla units, the New Philippine Scouts, the First Filipino 

Infantry Regiment, the Second Filipino Infantry Battalion 

(Separate), or the First Reconnaissance Battalion; or 

(B) commanding or serving in a unit described in paragraph 

(3)(A) as a United States military officer or enlisted soldier; 

and 

(b) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the Treasury. 

SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

(a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President pro tempore of the 

Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall 

make appropriate arrangements for the award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of appropriate design to the Filipino 

Veterans of World War II in recognition of the dedicated service 

of the veterans during World War II. 

(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purposes of the award 

referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary shall strike the Gold 

Medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 

(c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Following the award of the gold medal 

in honor of the Filipino Veterans of World War II, the gold 

medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution, where 

it will be available for display as appropriate and made available for research. 

(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that 

the Smithsonian Institution should make the gold medal 

received under paragraph (1) available for display elsewhere, 

particularly at other appropriate locations associated with the 

Filipino Veterans of World War II. 

(d) DUPLICATE MEDALS.— 

(1) IN GENERAL.—Under regulations that the Secretary may 

promulgate, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in 

bronze of the gold medal struck under this Act, at a price 

sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor, 

materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

(2) SALE OF DUPLICATE MEDALS.—The amounts received 

from the sale of duplicate medals under paragraph (1) shall 

be deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. 

SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

(a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this Act are 

national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United 

States Code. 


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PUBLIC LAW 114–265—DEC. 14, 2016 130 STAT. 1381 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 1555: 

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 162 (2016): 

July 13, considered and passed Senate. 

Nov. 30, considered and passed House. 

Æ 

(b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 5134 of title 

31, United States Code, all medals struck under this Act shall 

be considered to be numismatic items. 

Approved December 14, 2016. 


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