04/17/2023
Filipino Amerasian Reunification Coalition (FARC)
Washington DC April 14, 2023 (Open Letter)
President Joseph R. Biden
The White House, Washington DC
Attn: Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin & National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan
RE: US-PH EDCA Agreement Ignores Filipino Amerasians, Your Leadership Will Reunify Them with their Fathers
Dear President Biden:
We, the undersigned leaders, are disappointed and we question your bilateral Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the Philippine Government because it ignores the plight of at least 15,000Filipino Amerasians.
They are the forgotten children of American military fathers who
served in the Philippines. They were abandoned after the Vietnam War with the end of the US-PH Military Bases Treaty in 1992.
These Filipino Amerasians faced widespread discrimination,
underemployment, poverty, domestic violence and sexual abuse,
according to a 1999 study by a Pearl S. Buck foundation. Sadly, the
United States Government short changed them. Fortunately, they have received sympathetic world-wide media attention.
First, we urge you to issue a humanitarian executive order that would protect the rights and welfare of current and future Filipino
Amerasian children and adults by including them in the US-PH EDCA Agreement terms of engagement. This would heal this festering wound between the Filipino and American People.
The EDCA terms of engagement are being negotiated by Secretary of State Blinken and Defense Secretary Austin with their PH counterparts in 2+2 meetings in Washington. Earlier, they have agreed to increase the number of PH military-run joint bases to nine. Your Amerasian executive order will be timely in light of the 15,000 visiting US troops now in “Balikatan” training with Filipino soldiers. A surge of new Amerasian children can be expected in future years.
Second, we urge you to support Filipino Amerasian legislation in the US Senate and House. See the “Uniting Families Act of 2021” (H.R. 4522 in www.congress.gov) that will reunite them with their fathers and/or American siblings who have accepted financial responsibility for them since they have proven through their DNA to be the offspring of the American service member.
Finally, we are hopeful about your Administration’s pledge to
seriously promote democracy and protect human rights with the
government of President Marcos Jr. and their commitment to uphold the PH constitution and laws. Your reasonable increases of mutual defense funding, trade and economic incentives to the PH would assure peace in the West Philippine Sea and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. We believe EDCA will protect the Filipino People’s sovereignty from outside aggression and intimidation.
Your crucial leadership in addressing the Filipino Amerasian issue
would be a fitting legacy of your Administration and of Vice President Harris and would ensure the continued respect and friendship of the Filipino People.
Very respectfully,
LOIDA NICOLAS LEWIS, National Chair (NY) U.S. Filipinos for Good
Governance (FB.com/USFGG) & convenor
Filipino Amerasians Reunification Coalition FARC
JOHN HAINES USN ret. (WI), & CHAD SOUTHARD USMC ret. (GA), Fathers of Filipino Amerasians (FAFA) founders
ANGELA AQUINO, founder chair, EqualRightsforChildren.org (NY)
CHRISTOPHER LAPINIG, Esq, FARC Legal Counsel (CA)
ERIC LACHICA, coordinator USFGG & FARC (Washington DC)
Other leaders to be added later.
Copies furnished: Amerasian leaders in the Philippines, President
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., PH Ambassador Jose Romualdez, news media, Filipino American leaders & stakeholders
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For media inquiries, contact:
Angela AQUINO ERC, [email protected] 914-837-0192
John HAINES, FAFA, [email protected] 608-406-5795
Eric Lachica USFGG, [email protected] 202 246-1998
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PHOTO CREDIT (fair use) CNN Amerasians photo by Sunshine Lichauco De Leon 3-3-2012
https://www.cnn.com/2012/03/03/world/asia/philippines-forgotten-children/index.html
BW photo of Ally by Enrico Dungca
https://medium.com/pixel-magazine/the-forgotten-americans-meet-the-abandoned-children-of-u-s-military-servicemen-abroad-3fc54f8cd8f3
