IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1504 
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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 
Mr. CASE (for himself, Mrs. STEEL, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. MOYLAN, Ms. 
BARRAGA´N, Mr. BERA, Ms. CHU, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. GOMEZ, Mrs. 
KIGGANS of Virginia, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. PETERS, Ms. PORTER, Mr. 
SABLAN, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TOKUDA, and Mr. VARGAS) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Oversight and Accountability 
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, Cali-
fornia, 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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•HRES 1504 IH 
Filipino settlement in the United States was established 
in St. Malo, Louisiana; 
Whereas the recognition of the first permanent Filipino set-
tlement 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 contribu-
tions made by Filipino Americans to the development of 
the United States; 
Whereas the Filipino American community is the third larg-
est Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Is-
lander group in the United States, with a population of 
approximately 4,500,000; 
Whereas, from 2000 to 2019, the Filipino American commu-
nity 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 long-
standing 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 Sup-
plemental Surplus Appropriation Rescission Act, 1946 
(Public Law 79–301; 60 Stat. 6) and the Second Supple-
mental Surplus Appropriation Rescission Act, 1946 (Pub-
lic Law 79–391; 60 Stat. 221), which provided that the 
wartime service of members of the Commonwealth Army 
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•HRES 1504 IH 
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 Fili-
pino 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 Vet-
erans 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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•HRES 1504 IH 
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 indi-
vidual serving in the Armed Forces, and continue to dem-
onstrate 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 Fili-
pino American elected to public office and the first 
Filipina American elected to a legislature in the United 
States, respectively, inspiring their fellow Filipino Ameri-
cans 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 an Olympic Gold Medal; 
Whereas, on April 25, 2012, President Barack Obama nomi-
nated Lorna G. Schofield to be a United States District 
Judge for the United States District Court for the South-
ern District of New York, and she was confirmed by the 
Senate on December 13, 2012, to be the first Filipina 
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•HRES 1504 IH 
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, doc-
tors, 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, jour-
nalism, 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 Fili-
pino American National Historical Society, efforts should 
continue to promote the study of Filipino American his-
tory 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, edu-
cation, and appreciation of the history and culture of Fil-
ipino Americans in the United States: Now, therefore, be 
it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the celebration of Filipino Amer-
ican History Month as— 
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•HRES 1504 IH 
(A) a testament to the advancement of Fil-
ipino Americans; 
(B) a time to reflect on and remember the 
many notable contributions that Filipino Ameri-
cans have made to the United States; and 
(C) a time to renew efforts toward the re-
search and examination of history and culture 
so as to provide an opportunity for all people of 
the United States to learn more about Filipino 
Americans and to appreciate the historic con-
tributions of Filipino Americans to the United 
States; and 
(2) urges the people of the United States to ob-
serve Filipino American History Month with appro-
priate programs and activities. 
Æ 
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