VZCZCXRO8619
OO RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHML #0292/01 0350921
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 040921Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9641
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/CDRUSPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 000292 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OREP PREL PTER RP
SUBJECT: SENATORS INOUYE AND STEVENS RECEIVE WARM WELCOME 
FROM THE PHILIPPINES 
 
REF: A. MANILA 123 
     ¶B. MANILA 82 
 
¶1. (SBU)  SUMMARY:  During a busy and productive January 
17-19 visit to the Philippines, Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) 
and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) met with Philippine President 
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who decorated Sen. Stevens with the 
Order of the Golden Heart (an award previously bestowed on 
Sen. Inouye).  A January 17 reception at the Embassy in the 
senators' honor attracted an impressive cross-section of 
Philippine society, including Philippine veterans of the 
struggle for Bataan and Corregidor.  On January 18, a trip to 
Zamboanga afforded the senators the opportunity to review a 
USAID-sponsored project to equip high school students with 
computers, and a chance to visit U.S. troops, including 
Hawaii National Guard personnel, of the Joint Special 
Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P).  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U)  Embassy Manila welcomed Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) 
and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) back to the Philippines for a 
January 17-19 visit.  The warm welcome the Filipinos offered 
the senators reflected Inouye's and Stevens' longstanding 
ties and many previous visits over decades.  Senator Inouye 
is especially remembered for his role in funding by the U.S. 
Congress of humanitarian relief assistance for Philippine 
victims of the 2006 super-typhoons Milenyo and Reming, as 
well as being viewed as a champion of Philippine World War II 
veterans by sponsoring the Veterans Equity Act to expand 
benefits to Filipino soldiers who fought alongside American 
forces in the Pacific.  Senator Stevens is likewise 
well-known in the Philippines as a leading advocate for 
strengthening Philippine-U.S. bilateral defense cooperation, 
and for his emphasis on the importance of U.S. support for 
the Philippines in its efforts as a frontline ally in the 
global fight against terrorism. 
 
¶3. (U)  Shortly after their January 17 arrival from South 
Korea, codel Inouye joined the Ambassador and DCM for a 
private, hour-long meeting with Philippine President Gloria 
Macapagal Arroyo at Malacanang Palace.  President Arroyo 
presented Senator Stevens with the Order of the Golden Heart 
with the Rank of Grand Cross, in recognition of Sen. Stevens' 
support of Philippine veterans in their fight for equality, 
and for having rendered distinguished service and assistance 
in the improvement of the conditions of the Filipino people. 
Senator Inouye had received this honor during an August 2006 
visit, in recognition of his leadership role with the 
Veterans Equity Act.  The Senators subsequently attended a 
reception in their honor in the historic Chancery Ballroom; 
the gala event was attended by such leaders as Secretary of 
Defense Gilberto Teodoro, House Speaker Jose De Venecia, 
Presidential Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Father James 
Reuter, and a host of World War II veterans, including the 
surviving defenders of Bataan and Corregidor. 
 
¶4. (U)  Codel Inouye traveled January 18 to Zamboanga City in 
Mindanao, stopping first at the high school department of the 
Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology 
(ZSCMST) to recognize a computer center opened with USAID 
support as a partnership project of the Computer Literacy and 
Internet Connectivity (CLIC) program.  Passing rows of 
schoolchildren waving American and Filipino flags, the 
senators entered a gymnasium packed with nearly 2,000 
cheering students.  The Ambassador thanked the crowd for the 
cooperative spirit the school demonstrated, which she said 
reflected the positive attitude spreading throughout 
Mindanao.  The Ambassador introduced the senators, who 
praised the local community for its interfaith tolerance, and 
thanked generations of Filipinos for supporting the struggle 
for freedom from World War II to the present.  Zamboanga 
Mayor Celso Lobregat then welcomed the senators, heaping 
praise on the U.S. contributions to the Philippines. 
 
¶5. (SBU)  The senators then traveled to Camp Navarro, where 
the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) 
is headquartered.  Ambassador and JSTOF-P Commander 
introduced the senators to Philippine Armed Forces Lt. Gen. 
Nelson Allaga, Commander of Western Mindanao Command, and his 
top staff.  The senators lunched in the mess hall with U.S. 
troops, together with Ambassador and USAID Mission Director. 
Senator Inouye talked with nearly a dozen Hawaii National 
Guard troops, and Senator Stevens conferred with U.S. troops 
from Alaska and visiting Philippine military officers and 
troops.  The JSOTF-P Commander, who had briefed the senators 
on military and counter-terrorism issues on the flight down 
to Zamboanga, led a roundtable discussion on these and other 
topics with the senators, Ambassador, USAID staff, and key 
JSOTF-P staff after lunch. 
 
MANILA 00000292  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶6. (U)  Codel Inouye did not have the opportunity to clear 
this cable before departing post. 
 
 
 
Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website: 
http://www.state.sgov. 
KENNEY