Washington, Dec 13, 2005 -

Congressman Scott Garrett today issued the following statement in the House record regarding House Concurrent Resolution 218, honoring the contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H. CON. RES. 218, recognizing the centennial of sustained immigration from the Philippines to the United States and acknowledging the contributions of our Filipino-American community to our country over the last century.

The United States and the Philippines have a relationship full of tradition and history and both countries have a shared commitment to global peace, security, and prosperity. Currently, there are over 2 million Filipino-Americans, the 2nd largest Asian-American community in the U.S. These Filipino-Americans have made significant contributions in many areas including education, religion, business, labor, and the arts.

Dating back to World War II, when the United States and the Philippines fought side by side against Japan in the Pacific, Filipino-Americans have served with dignity and bravery in the United States Armed Forces. Today, many Filipino-American soldiers are fighting overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Philippines is working closely with the United States to win the global war on terror. Ongoing Philippines initiatives to improve and expand international counterterrorism cooperation encourage even better levels of communication between our two countries.

I will continue to work with leaders in the Filipino-American community to ensure that relations between the United States and the Philippines continue to grow and prosper in the 21st Century. I urge all of my colleagues to support H. CON. RES. 218

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