PH Expresses Appreciation to US for Honoring Filipino WWII Vets

26 October 2017 - The Philippines today expressed its appreciation to the United States for bestowing its highest civilian honor—the Congressional Gold Medal—to thousands of Filipinos who fought under American command during the Second World War.

“We welcome this important gesture by the United States Congress to pay tribute to the gallantry and sacrifices of the more than 260,000 Filipinos who fought alongside their American brothers-in-arms in the Philippines during the last world war,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano said.

“We are heartened to know that after more than 70 years, Filipino veterans were finally given the honor that they very much deserve,” Secretary Cayetano said in a statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday—the 72nd anniversary of the American landings in Leyte that ended the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during the Second World War.

“The Congressional Gold Medal affirms and celebrates the stories of our two great nations that have been brought together by the shared sacrifices of our soldiers in war time and the shared commitment to freedom and democracy of the Filipino and American peoples during peace time,” the Secretary added.

Secretary Cayetano also congratulated leaders of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP) for spearheading the congressional gold medal project. The group is led by retired US Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, himself the son of a Filipino-American veteran, with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana who was then Veterans Affairs Representative at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, serving as its adviser.

According to Chargé d’Affaires Patrick Chuasoto of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., the presentation of the medal is in accordance with the “Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015,” a bipartisan initiative that recognized the important contributions of Filipino World War II veterans and their impact on American history and culture.

Chargé d’Affaires Chuasoto said House Speaker Paul Ryan led congressional leaders in presenting the medal to surviving Filipino veterans and their families in ceremonies at the Emancipation Hall of the US Congress on Wednesday.

Among those present in the ceremonies were Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel, Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer, Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Rep. Ed Royce and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

The Philippines was represented in the ceremony by Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil, Chargé d’Affaires Chuasoto, Minister Jose Victor Chan-Gonzaga, Administrator Ernesto Carolina of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, and Veterans Affairs Representative Elson Agular. END