III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 856 

Recognizing the month of October 2024 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 

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 

Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BROWN, Ms. BUTLER, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. FETTERMAN, Mr. HELMY, Mr. KAINE, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. PADILLA, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. 

SCHATZ, Mr. WARNER, Ms. WARREN, Ms. MURKOWSKI, and Ms. 

DUCKWORTH) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the month of October 2024 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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•SRES 856 IS 

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, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander group in the United States, with a population of 

approximately 4,500,000; 

Whereas, from 2000 to 2019, the Filipino American community grew 78 percent, and Filipinos are the largest Asian 

community in Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, 

New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West 

Virginia; 

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 


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•SRES 856 IS 

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 

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, in 1991, the Filipino American National Historical 

Society made efforts to recognize October as Filipino 

American History Month for the first time; 

Whereas, in 2009, Congress first recognized October as Filipino American History Month (S. Res. 298; H. Res. 

780); 

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; 

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; 


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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 demonstrate a commendable sense of patriotism and honor in 

the Armed Forces; 

Whereas the late Peter Aquino Aduja of Hawaii and the late 

Thelma Garcia Buchholdt of Alaska became the first Filipino American elected to public office and the first 

Filipina American elected to a legislature in the United 

States, respectively, inspiring their fellow Filipino Americans to pursue public service in politics and government; 

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, on August 3, 1948, the late Victoria Manalo Draves 

became the first Filipino American and Asian American 

to win a gold medal at the Olympics; 

Whereas, on April 25, 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Lorna G. Schofield to be a United States District 

Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and she was confirmed by the 

Senate on December 13, 2012, to be the first Filipina 


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American in United States history to serve as an Article 

III Federal judge; 

Whereas Filipino Americans play an integral role in the 

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

and approximately 1 in 4 working Filipino adults in the 

United States is a frontline healthcare worker; 

Whereas Filipino Americans contribute greatly to music, 

dance, literature, education, business, hospitality, 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; 

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 2024 as— 


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1 (A) a testament to the advancement of Fil2 ipino Americans; 

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

4 many notable contributions that Filipino Ameri5 cans have made to the United States; and 

6 (C) a time to renew efforts toward the re7 search and examination of history and culture 

8 so as to provide an opportunity for all people of 

9 the United States to learn more about Filipino 

10 Americans and to appreciate the historic con11 tributions of Filipino Americans to the United 

12 States; and 

13 (2) urges the people of the United States to ob14 serve Filipino American History Month with appro15 priate programs and activities. 

Æ 


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