Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015
PL 114-265 (S.1555), enacted 12/14/2016

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 independ-
ence 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 Mac-
Arthur 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 colo-
nial 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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130 STAT. 1377 
PUBLIC LAW 114–265—DEC. 14, 2016 
(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 Phil-
ippine Independence Act to ‘‘call into service of the United 
States . . . all of the organized military forces of the Govern-
ment 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 estab-
lished, and Manila was designated as the command head-
quarters. Commander of the USAFFE, General Douglas Mac-
Arthur, 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 volun-
teered 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 resist-
ance, 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 sup-
plies; 
(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 Gen-
eral 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 guer-
rillas 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 partici-
pated 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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130 STAT. 1379 
PUBLIC LAW 114–265—DEC. 14, 2016 
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 intel-
ligence missions, and reorganized as the 2nd Filipino Infantry 
Battalion (Separate). The 2nd Filipino Infantry Battalion (Sepa-
rate) 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 Roo-
sevelt 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, there-
fore, 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 along-
side, 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 Govern-
ment. 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 dem-
onstrates 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 Phil-
ippine Scouts, the Philippine Constabulary, Recognized Guer-
rilla 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 Con-
gress, 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 deter-
mined 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 avail-
able 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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130 STAT. 1381 
PUBLIC LAW 114–265—DEC. 14, 2016 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 1555: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 162 (2016): 
July 13, considered and passed Senate. 
Nov. 30, considered and passed House. 
(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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