WHEREAS, the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project is an organization that has honored and brought greater awareness to the bravery and sacrifice of the more than 260,000 Filipinos and Filipino-Americans who served with the United States Armed Forces during World War II; and

WHEREAS, although Filipino and Filipino-American veterans were essential to the Allied Forces' victory in the Pacific Theater during World War II, the Rescission Act of 1946 caused more than 200,000 of them to lose their status as U.S. nationals and compensation for their service; and

WHEREAS, to address this injustice, the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP) was formed in May 2013 to obtain official national recognition of Filipino and Filipino-American veterans and to promote knowledge and understanding of their wartime service; and

WHEREAS, as a result of the tireless efforts of FilVetREP members and the generous support of their partners and sponsors, the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015 was passed by both houses of Congress and later signed into law by President Barack H. Obama II on December 14, 2016; and

WHEREAS, since Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to more than 600 veterans and families at Emancipation Hall in the United States Capitol on October 25, 2017, FilVetREP has held its own ceremonies to individually honor living veterans or their next of kin, remaining steadfast in its attempts to reach each one of the 10,000 veterans who are still unrecognized; and

WHEREAS, FilVetREP has pursued its goal to promote awareness by developing an interactive online educational program that presents and preserves the historic legacy of Filipino and Filipino-American World War II veterans; and

WHEREAS, FilVetREP recently launched the first phase of its education program, sharing remarkable stories and facts sourced from living veterans, their families, and historical accounts and artifacts at the National Archives and Records Administration and the Library of Congress; and

WHEREAS, FilVetREP co-sponsored and participated in the Bataan Memorial Death March on April 2, 2022, in Alexandria, one of several such marches across the country, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Bataan Death March and to foster greater understanding of this tragic event; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project hereby be commended for ensuring that Filipinos and Filipino-Americans who fought with the United States Armed Forces during World War II receive the honor and respect they are due; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Major General Antonio M. Taguba, USA, Ret., chairman of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project, as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's mission and its contributions to the Commonwealth.