IC 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1555 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 14, 2016 

Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

3 World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The First Philippine Republic was founded 

7 as a result of the Spanish-American War in which 

8 Filipino revolutionaries and the United States 

9 Armed Forces fought to overthrow Spanish colonial 

10 rule. On June 12, 1898, Filipinos declared the Phil11 ippines to be an independent and sovereign nation. 

12 The Treaty of Paris negotiated between the United 

13 States and Spain ignored this declaration of inde14 pendence, and the United States paid Spain 

15 $20,000,000 to cede control of the Philippines to the 

16 United States. Filipino nationalists who sought inde17 pendence rather than a change in colonial rulers 

18 clashed with forces of the United States in the Is19 lands. The Philippine-American War, which officially 

20 lasted for 3 years from 1899 to 1902, led to the es21 tablishment of the United States civil government in 

22 the Philippines. 

23 (2) In 1901, units of Filipino soldiers who 

24 fought for the United States against the nationalist 

25 insurrection were formally incorporated into the 

26 United States Army as the Philippine Scouts. 


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1 (3) In 1934, the Philippine Independence Act 

2 (Public Law 73–127; 48 Stat. 456) established a 

3 timetable for ending colonial rule of the United 

4 States. Between 1934 and Philippine independence 

5 in 1946, the United States retained sovereignty over 

6 Philippine foreign policy and reserved the right to 

7 call Filipinos into the service of the United States 

8 Armed Forces. 

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

10 Philippine Commonwealth, Manuel Quezon, signed 

11 the National Defense Act, passed by the Philippine 

12 Assembly. General Douglas MacArthur set upon the 

13 task of creating an independent army in the Phil14 ippines, consisting of a small regular force, the Phil15 ippine Constabulary, a police force created during 

16 the colonial period of the United States, and reserv17 ists. By July 1941, the Philippine army had 130,000 

18 reservists and 6,000 officers. 

19 (5) On July 26, 1941, as tensions with Japan 

20 rose in the Pacific, President Franklin D. Roosevelt 

21 used his authority vested in the Constitution of the 

22 United States and the Philippine Independence Act 

23 to ‘‘call into service of the United States . . . all of 

24 the organized military forces of the Government of 

25 the Philippines.’’ On July 27th, 1941, in accordance 


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1 with a War Department directive received a day ear2 lier, the United States Forces in the Far East 

3 (USAFFE) was established, and Manila was des4 ignated as the command headquarters. Commander 

5 of the USAFFE, General Douglas MacArthur, 

6 planned to absorb the entire Philippine army into 

7 the USAFFE in phases. The first phase, which 

8 began on September 1, 1941, included 25,000 men 

9 and 4,000 officers. 

10 (6) Filipinos who served in the USAFFE in11 cluded— 

12 (A) the Philippine Scouts, who comprised 

13 half of the 22,532 soldiers in the Philippine De14 partment, or United States Army garrison sta15 tioned in the Islands at the start of the war; 

16 (B) the Philippine Commonwealth Army; 

17 (C) the new Philippine Scouts, or Filipinos 

18 who volunteered to serve with the United States 

19 Army when the United States Armed Forces re20 turned to the island; 

21 (D) Filipino civilians who volunteered to 

22 serve in the United States Armed Forces in 

23 1945 and 1946, and who became ‘‘attached’’ to 

24 various units of the United States Army; and 


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1 (E) the ‘‘Guerrilla Services’’ who had 

2 fought behind enemy lines throughout the war. 

3 (7) Even after hostilities ceased, wartime serv4 ice of the new Philippine Scouts continued as a mat5 ter of law until the end of 1946, and the force 

6 gradually disbanded until it was disestablished in 

7 1950. 

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

9 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese Impe10 rial forces attacked bases of the United States Army 

11 in the Philippines. 

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

13 Army overran the Bataan Peninsula, and, after a 

14 heroic but futile defense, more than 78,000 members 

15 of the United States Armed Forces were captured, 

16 specifically 66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 service 

17 members from the United States. The Japanese 

18 transferred the captured soldiers from Bataan to 

19 Camp O’Donnell, in what is now known as the infa20 mous Bataan Death March. Forced to march the 

21 70-mile distance in 1 week, without adequate food, 

22 water, or medicine, nearly 700 members of the 

23 United States Armed Forces and an estimated 6,000 

24 to 10,000 Filipinos perished during the journey. 


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

2 Japanese Army turned its sights on Corregidor. The 

3 estimated forces in defense of Corregidor totaled 

4 13,000, and were comprised of members of the 

5 United States Armed Forces and Filipino troops. Of 

6 this number, 800 were killed, 1,000 were wounded, 

7 and 11,000 were captured and forced to march 

8 through the city of Manila, after which the captured 

9 troops were distributed to various POW camps. The 

10 rest of the captured troops escaped to organize or 

11 join an underground guerrilla army. 

12 (11) Even before the fall of Corregidor, Phil13 ippine resistance, in the form of guerrilla armies, 

14 began to wage warfare on the Japanese invaders. 

15 Guerrilla armies, from Northern Luzon to 

16 Mindanao— 

17 (A) raided Japanese camps, stealing weap18 ons and supplies; 

19 (B) sabotaged and ambushed Japanese 

20 troops on the move; and 

21 (C) with little weaponry, and severely out22 matched in numbers, began to extract victories. 

23 (12) Japanese intelligence reports reveal that 

24 from the time the Japanese invaded until the return 

25 of the United States Armed Forces in the summer 


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1 of 1944, an estimated 300,000 Filipinos continued 

2 to fight against Japanese forces. Filipino resistance 

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

4 the Imperial Army formed the Morista Butai, a unit 

5 designated to suppress guerrillas. 

6 (13) Because Philippine guerrillas worked to re7 store communication with United States forces in 

8 the Pacific, General MacArthur was able to use the 

9 guerrillas in advance of a conventional operation and 

10 provided the headquarters of General MacArthur 

11 with valuable information. Guerrillas captured and 

12 transmitted to the headquarters of General Mac13 Arthur Japanese naval plans for the Central Pacific, 

14 including defense plans for the Mariana Islands. In15 telligence derived from guerrillas relating to aircraft, 

16 ship, and troop movements allowed for Allied forces 

17 to attack Japanese supply lines and guerrillas and 

18 even directed United States submarines where to 

19 land agents and cargo on the Philippine coast. 

20 (14) On December 20, 1941, President Roo21 sevelt signed the Selective Training and Service 

22 Amendments Act (Public Law 77–360; 55 Stat. 

23 844) which, among other things, allowed Filipinos in 

24 the United States to enlist in the United States 

25 Armed Forces. In February 1942, President RooVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:03 Jul 15, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1555.RFH S1555

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1 sevelt issued the Second War Powers Act (Public 

2 Law 77–507; 56 Stat. 176), promising a simplified 

3 naturalization process for Filipinos who served in 

4 the United States Armed Forces. Subsequently, 

5 16,000 Filipinos in California alone decided to en6 list. 

7 (15) The mobilization of forces included the ac8 tivation and assumption of command of the First 

9 Filipino Infantry Battalion on April 1, 1942, at 

10 Camp San Luis Obispo, California. Orders were 

11 issued to activate the First Filipino Infantry Regi12 ment and Band at Salinas, California, effective July 

13 13, 1942. The activation of the Second Filipino In14 fantry Regiment occurred at Fort Ord, California, 

15 on November 21, 1942. Nearly 9,000 Filipinos and 

16 Filipino Americans fought in the United States 

17 Army 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments. 

18 (16) Soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regi19 ments participated in the bloody combat and mop20 up operations at New Guinea, Leyte, Samar, Luzon, 

21 and the Southern Philippines. In 1943, 800 men 

22 were selected from the 1st and 2nd Regiments and 

23 shipped to Australia to receive training in intel24 ligence gathering, sabotage, and demolition. Reorga25 nized as part of the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 


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1 this group was sent to the Philippines to coordinate 

2 with major guerrilla armies in the Islands. Members 

3 of the 1st Regiment were also attached to the 

4 United States 6th Army ‘‘Alamo Scouts’’, a recon5 naissance group that traveled 30 miles behind enemy 

6 lines to free Allied prisoners from the Cabanatuan 

7 death camp on January 30, 1945. In addition, in 

8 1945, according to the 441st Counter Intelligence 

9 Unit of the United States Armed Forces, Philippine 

10 guerrillas provided ‘‘very important information and 

11 sketches of enemy positions and installations’’ for 

12 the liberation of the Santo Tomas prisoner of war 

13 camp, an event that made front page news across 

14 the United States. 

15 (17) In March 1944, members of the 2nd Fili16 pino Infantry Regiment were selected for special as17 signments, including intelligence missions, and reor18 ganized as the 2nd Filipino Infantry Battalion (Sep19 arate). The 2nd Filipino Infantry Battalion (Sepa20 rate) contributed to mop-up operations as a civil af21 fairs unit. 

22 (18) Filipinos participated in the war out of na23 tional pride, as well as out of a commitment to the 

24 Allied forces struggle against fascism. 57,000 Fili25 pinos in uniform died in the war effort. Estimates 


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1 of civilian deaths range from 700,000 to upwards of 

2 1,000,000, or between 4.38 to 6.25 percent of the 

3 prewar population of 16,000,000. 

4 (19) Because Filipinos who served in the Com5 monwealth Army of the Philippines were originally 

6 considered a part of the Allied struggle, the military 

7 order issued by President Roosevelt on July 26, 

8 1941, stated that Filipinos who served in the Com9 monwealth Army of the Philippines were entitled to 

10 full veterans benefits. The guarantee to pay back the 

11 service of Filipinos through veterans benefits was re12 versed by the Rescission Acts of 1946 (Public Laws 

13 79–301 and 79–391; 60 Stat. 6 and 60 Stat. 221), 

14 which deemed that the wartime service of the Com15 monwealth Army of the Philippines and the new 

16 Philippine Scouts was not considered active and, 

17 therefore, did not qualify for benefits. 

18 (20) The loyal and valiant Filipino Veterans of 

19 World War II fought, suffered, and, in many in20 stances, died in the same manner and under the 

21 same commander as other members of the United 

22 States Armed Forces during World War II. 

23 (21) The Filipino Veterans of World War II 

24 fought alongside, and as an integral part of, the 

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1 mained a territory of the United States for the dura2 tion of the war and, accordingly, the United States 

3 maintained sovereignty over Philippine foreign rela4 tions, including Philippine laws enacted by the Phil5 ippine Government. Filipinos who fought in the Phil6 ippines were not only defending or fighting for the 

7 Philippines, but also defending, and ultimately liber8 ating, sovereign territory held by the United States 

9 Government. 

10 (22) The United States remains forever in11 debted to the bravery, valor, and dedication that the 

12 Filipino Veterans of World War II displayed. Their 

13 commitment and sacrifice demonstrates a highly un14 common and commendable sense of patriotism and 

15 honor. 

16 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

17 In this Act— 

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

19 includes any individual who served— 

20 (1) honorably at any time during the period be21 ginning on July 26, 1941, and ending on December 

22 31, 1946; 

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

24 of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East; 

25 and 


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1 (3)(A) within the Philippine Commonwealth 

2 Army, the Philippine Scouts, the Philippine Con3 stabulary, Recognized Guerrilla units, the New Phil4 ippine Scouts, the First Filipino Infantry Regiment, 

5 the Second Filipino Infantry Battalion (Separate), 

6 or the First Reconnaissance Battalion; or 

7 (B) commanding or serving in a unit described 

8 in paragraph (3)(A) as a United States military offi9 cer or enlisted soldier; and 

10 (b) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of the 

11 Treasury. 

12 SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL. 

13 (a) AWARD AUTHORIZED.—The President pro tem14 pore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Rep15 resentatives shall make appropriate arrangements for the 

16 award, on behalf of Congress, of a single gold medal of 

17 appropriate design to the Filipino Veterans of World War 

18 II in recognition of the dedicated service of the veterans 

19 during World War II. 

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

21 award referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary shall 

22 strike the Gold Medal with suitable emblems, devices, and 

23 inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary. 

24 (c) SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.— 


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

2 gold medal in honor of the Filipino Veterans of 

3 World War II, the gold medal shall be given to the 

4 Smithsonian Institution, where it will be available 

5 for display as appropriate and made available for re6 search. 

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

8 Congress that the Smithsonian Institution should 

9 make the gold medal received under paragraph (1) 

10 available for display elsewhere, particularly at other 

11 appropriate locations associated with the Filipino 

12 Veterans of World War II. 

13 (d) DUPLICATE MEDALS.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Under regulations that the 

15 Secretary may promulgate, the Secretary may strike 

16 and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medal 

17 struck under this Act, at a price sufficient to cover 

18 the costs of the medals, including labor, materials, 

19 dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses. 

20 (2) SALE OF DUPLICATE MEDALS.—The 

21 amounts received from the sale of duplicate medals 

22 under paragraph (1) shall be deposited in the United 

23 States Mint Public Enterprise Fund. 


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1 SEC. 5. STATUS OF MEDALS. 

2 (a) NATIONAL MEDALS.—Medals struck under this 

3 Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title 

4 31, United States Code. 

5 (b) NUMISMATIC ITEMS.—For purposes of section 

6 5134 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck 

7 under this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items. 

Passed the Senate July 13, 2016. 

Attest: JULIE E. ADAMS, 

Secretary. 


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