Speech #1090096817

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. 2006 marks the centennial anniversary of sustained Immigration from the Philippines which demonstrates a warm friendship between the two nations on opposite ends of the world. The Philippines and the United States have enjoyed a long history of friendship and cooperation. including nearly a half century of American control of the archipelago which came to a close in 1947. Now independent. the Philippines remain one of our strongest allies in the AsianPacific region. In 1906. a handful of sugar cane workers immigrated from the Philippines to the then U.S. territory of Hawaii. Later that year. the first group of pensionados arrived to earn degrees from American institutions. Some pensionados returned home to the Philippines to apply their knowledge. but many remained in the United States. Combined with the influx of sugar cane workers. these Filipino immigrants established a vibrant FilipinoAmerican community. A century of sustained immigration has persisted since 1906. and in some years. more than 60.000 Filipinos have immigrated to the United States. Hawaii and California house the majority of the nearly 2.5 million Filipinos who live in the United States. although strong communities thrive in other parts of our Nation. such as New York. New Jersey and Chicago. FilipinoAmericans now represent the largest immigrant community from the AsiaPacific region who live in the United States. FilipinoAmericans have made major contributions to the arts. labor. business. politics. medicine. media and other areas. In addition. FilipinoAmericans have served with honor in the United States Armed Forces in every war since World War I. They are a valued part of American society. So I ask my colleagues to join me in recognition of the centennial anniversary of sustained immigration of Filipinos to the United States. Let us also recognize the vibrant history of the FilipinoAmerican community in the United States. Their sustained immigration truly marks a century of achievement. and I commend the gentleman from Hawaii for seeking to recognize the contributions of this great part of our population. Mr. Speaker.