2 US senators seek to declare a Fil-Am history month

MANILA, Philippines — Two United States senators and a lawmaker on Thursday proposed to declare October 2015 as "Filipino American History Month."

Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and California Rep. Mike Honda proposed a bicameral and bipartisan resolution which seeks to honor the earliest documented Filipino presence in the continental US.

"The United States and the Republic of the Philippines have a special friendship, as evidenced not only by the many Filipinos who fought side-by-side with Americans to defend freedom in World War II, but also by the enduring economic and security alliance that our two democracies share today," Kirk said.

Kirk noted Illinois benefits from the economic and cultural contributions of around 140,000 Filipino Americans in the state.

The resolution also acknowledged the very first permanent Filipino settlement in the US and the economic, cultural and social contributions of Filipino Americans.

“As we celebrate Filipino American heritage, we must also renew our commitment to recognizing Filipino World War II veterans for their service to our country, and continue to work toward comprehensive immigration reform that would reunite many Filipino American families," Hirono said.

At present, around 3.5 million Filipino Americans reside in the US, including World War II veterans who fought under the American flag upon the request of former American President Franklin Roosevelt, according to a report from Kirk's office.

The resolution also gained support from Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada, Chuck Schumer of New York, Patty Murray of Washington, Barbara Boxer of California, Maria Cantwell of Washington, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Al Franken of Minnesota, Richard Blumenthal of Connecicut, Dean Heller of Nevada and Tim Kaine of Virginia.