VZCZCXRO7416
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHML #2499/01 3380848
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 040848Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5964
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MANILA 002499 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL OREP OVIP VA RP
SUBJECT:  CODEL FILNER VISIT TO THE PHILIPPINES 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY.  The week-long visit to Manila by Representative Bob 
Filner, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, 
underscored the close ties between the United States and the 
Philippines, and highlighted the care that the USG continues to 
provide for Philippine W.W.II Veterans who served with the U.S. 
military.  The Congressman met with President Arroyo, Speaker 
Nograles, Under Secretary of National Defense Santos, and Zamboanga 
Mayor Lobregat.  He presented VA benefit checks to several eligible 
Filipino W.W. II veterans, and visited the Philippine Veterans 
Memorial Medical Center, recipient of VA grant funds. He laid a 
wreath at the American Cemetery; met with American Studies students 
at a local University; traveled to Mindanao where he spent 
Thanksgiving Day with U.S. troops and visited a USAID project; 
received the Gusi International Peace Prize; and toured the historic 
island of Corregidor.  Finally, he met many veterans and VA 
employees during his tours of the VA Manila facilities and received 
operational briefings on VA's progress implementing the new, 
one-time lump sum benefit for eligible Filipino W.W. II Veterans. 
Congressman Filner's visit successfully underlined the long-standing 
nature of the U.S.-Philippine partnership and our shared commitment 
to our veterans.   END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) Representative Filner visited Manila November 21 to November 
28, accompanied by Chief of Staff Mr. Tony Buckles, Professional 
Staff Member Ms. Jian Zapata and LCDR Ron Valencia.  Rep. Filner 
represents the 51st congressional district of California, home to 
the largest percentage of Filipino-American citizens in the 
continental U.S.  This was the Congressman's third visit to the 
Philippines and the first since the landmark Filipino Veterans 
Equity Compensation provision became law last February as part of 
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 
 
President Arroyo 
---------------- 
 
¶3. (U) During a November 23 call on President Arroyo, Rep. Filner 
reiterated the importance of the U.S.-Philippine relationship and 
the long history of partnership, with a shared commitment to our 
veterans. 
 
¶4. (SBU) President Arroyo thanked Rep. Filner for his successful 
effort to secure additional benefits for an expanded group of 
Filipino and Filipino-American veterans.  The Congressman and the 
President also discussed how the SAVE Act would benefit Philippine 
apparel exporters and U.S. textile producers; Philippine efforts 
toward qualifying for Millennium Challenge Corporation funding; the 
effort to secure peace in Mindanao before the end of the Arroyo 
administration; and immigration for Philippine nurses. 
 
Speaker Nograles 
---------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Rep. Filner called on House of Representatives Speaker 
Prospero Nograles November 23.  Nograles, flanked by nearly a dozen 
Philippine legislators, thanked Congressman Filner for his efforts 
on behalf of Filipino veterans and presented the Congressman with a 
framed House resolution that, in recognition of his accomplishments, 
declared him an honorary citizen of the Philippines.  Congressman 
Filner recounted his long interest in the situation of Filipino 
veterans who had fought with U.S. forces during W.W. II.  In a 
subsequent exchange with a television journalist attending the call 
on the Speaker, Congressman Filner explained his hope that 
immigration legislation would help to address family reunification 
issues affecting veterans.  He explained his interest in promoting 
training for Philippine nurses in the U.S. in a manner that would 
not lead to a "brain drain" from the Philippines.  Congressman 
Filner also said that the Philippines was a natural partner of the 
U.S. on counterterrorism, and that he was confident there would be a 
clean Philippine election and a peaceful transfer of power in 
mid-2010.  CODEL Filner then proceeded to a larger room for brief 
remarks and mingling with Filipino veterans and members of 
Congress. 
 
Under Secretary Santos 
---------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Under Secretary of National Defense Antonio C. Santos 
received Rep. Filner in the wake of the recent Maguindanao massacre, 
which required the attention of the Acting Secretary for National 
Defense Gonzales. The brief meeting was dominated by discussions of 
the events in Maguindanao and USEC Santos thanked Rep Filner for all 
he has done for Filipino W.W.II Veterans, noting his father was a 
veteran of that war. A briefing presented by Under Secretary for 
Veterans and Civil Affairs Carolina followed the courtesy call.  The 
presentation highlighted U.S. assistance and described at length the 
ongoing Philippine Defense Reform initiative of the two governments 
that has helped transform the Armed Forces of the Philippines into a 
more transparent, accountable, and effective partner in 
counterterrorism and regional security.  Now in its final year, PDR 
has resulted in important reforms, Carolina asserted. 
 
Visit to Zamboanga 
------------------ 
 
MANILA 00002499  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) The Ambassador accompanied Rep. Filner during a Thanksgiving 
Day visit to Zamboanga City, highlighted by a courtesy call on Mayor 
Celso Lobregat, Thanksgiving lunch with visiting U.S. troops, and a 
visit to the USAID book warehouse.  Mayor Lobregat thanked the 
Congressman for all he has done for Philippine-U.S. relations and 
provided a brief presentation about the city of Zamboanga, 
emphasizing the city's strategic location as hub for regional 
commerce. The Ambassador remarked on her fondness for the city and 
reminded those in attendance of her status as honorary daughter of 
the city, prompting the mayor to thank the Ambassador for spending 
yet another Thanksgiving in his city.  Rep. Filner and the 
Ambassador then served Thanksgiving lunch to members of the Joint 
Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) who provided a 
briefing on JSOTF-P after dining with a number of task force members 
from his district.  Before departing Zamboanga, Rep. Filner visited 
the USAID book warehouse, home to hundreds of thousands of 
schoolbooks that will eventually be distributed throughout the 
Philippines via a unique educator voucher program.  Numerous 
warehouse employees had just returned from the remote islands of 
Tawi Tawi, where 90,000 books had recently been distributed. 
 
Visit with American Studies Students 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶9. (U) Returning to his college professorial roots, Rep. Filner met 
with a large gathering of American Studies students at De La Salle 
University in Metro Manila to discuss the issues of the day and his 
perspective as a sitting Congressman. The open dialogue and question 
and answer format provided stimulating, two-way discussion regarding 
topics ranging from the U.S. role in climate change, the worldwide 
economy and recovery efforts, campaign finance reform, and the 
healthcare debate in the U.S.  At one point Rep. Filner took to the 
white board to explain and illustrate what he termed "the 
undemocratic practice of re-districting," complete with a history of 
gerrymandering. 
 
Memorial events and outreach 
---------------------------- 
 
¶10. (U) Rep. Filner laid a wreath at the Manila American Cemetery 
and Memorial, which commemorates more than 50,000 U.S. military 
deaths in World War II, and he paid a visit to the Corregidor 
Memorial, which immortalizes the brave Filipino and American service 
members who fought shoulder to shoulder during World War II. 
 
¶11. (U) The Congressman ate lunch with the Marine Security Guard 
detachment at the U.S. Embassy, toured the Manila VA facilities, and 
met with over 150 VA employees, the majority of whom are Filipino 
citizens.  He thanked the staff for their dedication and commitment 
to serving veterans and for carrying out the mission of the USDVA in 
the Philippines.  He separately visited the Philippine Government's 
Veterans Memorial Medical Center, a recipient of the VA grant 
funds. 
 
¶12. (U) Rep. Filner was provided an in-depth briefing on VA Manila's 
implementation of the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation 
provision, passed with his efforts as part of the American Recovery 
and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  The Congressman thanked those VA 
employees in attendance for acting so quickly to implement the 
legislation and complimented VA Manila on the progress made thus 
far, with over 10,000 veterans having received over $125 million 
since the bill's passage in February.  The briefing concluded with a 
slideshow presentation of photos and news footage from the 
Philippines during the first few weeks after the law passed. Visibly 
moved by the presentation, the Congressman thanked the VA Manila 
staff again and asked for a copy of the slideshow to share with VA 
stakeholders and others in Washington. 
 
¶13. (U) The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office honored the 
Congressman with a lunch reception, where Rep. Filner was able to 
meet with scores of proud Filipino World War II veterans and leaders 
of the major Veterans Service Organizations in the Philippines, many 
of whom are recipients of the new benefit.  He presented several 
eligible Veterans with their lump sum check for the new benefit. 
 
¶14. (U) Congressman Filner joined 18 others from around the globe as 
a 2009 Gusi International Peace Prize recipient.  Billed by its 
organizers as the Asian version of the Nobel, the Gusi seeks to 
"recognize individuals working toward the attainment of peace and 
respect for human life and dignity." 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶15. (U) Rep. Filner's visit successfully underlined the close and 
long-standing nature of the U.S.-Philippine partnership and our 
shared commitment to our veterans.  His visit received favorable 
coverage in the local media, and generated considerable additional 
goodwill, particularly in the politically influential veterans' 
community here. 
 
¶16. (U) Representative Filner did not have an opportunity to clear 
 
MANILA 00002499  003 OF 003 
 
 
this cable before departure. 
 
KENNEY