Filipino forum. [volume], April 01, 1944, Image 1

About Filipino forum. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1928-196?

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
FOR TRUTH.
JUSTICE. AND
mm PLAY
VOL. 6; NO. 4
IN THE THICK OF THE FIGHT
PRESIDENT MANUEL L. QUEZON is shown here
with General Douglas MacArthur during the in
tense fighting against the invader on Bataan. Under
them, U. S. and Filipino troops fought side by side.
Help Speed the Day of Our Victory
fluezon Advises Fellow-Counirymen
On the second anniversary of the fall of Bataan April 9,
1944 - President Manuel L. Quezon of the Philippine Govern
ment-in-Exile, in a telegram to the editor of the Filipino For
um, enjoins his fellow-countrymen to continue exerting their
best efforts to help speed the day of our victory.
Following is the President’s message:
TO MY FELLOW COUNTRYMEN IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST:
I SEND MY GREETINGS ON THIS DAY APRIL 9 A DAY so FULL OF
SIGNIFICANCE FOR US FILIPINOS. BATAAN AS A MILITARY BUL
WARK FELL BUT THE FILIPINOS’ SPIRIT OF RESISTANCE AGAINST
THE INVADER DID NOT FALL WITH IT. THE SPIRIT THAT GAVE
COURAGE TO OUR HEROES IN BATAAN LIVES IN EVERY FILIPINO
HEART. IT Is FOR THIS REASON THAT I ENJOIN YOU TO CONTINUE
EXERTINC. YOUR BEST EFFORTS TO HELP SPEED THE DAY OF OUR
VICTORY- MANUEL L. QUEZON
Quezon Awards
DSS to Romulo
WASHINGTON, March l3—Presi
dent Manuel L. ’ tozon of the Phil
ippines, in his first public cere
mony since his arrival in Miami
Beach last December, decorated Col.
Carlos P. Romulo with the Distin
guished Service Star of the Philip
pines, on March 8, in recognition
of the Colonel’s work in Bataan,
Corregidor and later in America.
The President, now convalescing
in Miami Beach, also administered
to COl. Rumulo his oath of office
as Secretary of Information and
Public Relations. Col. Romulo was
appointed to the President’s War
Cabinet last November, but due to
the President‘s illness, was unable
to take his oath of office before
this time.
THE FILIPINO FORUM,
Community Newspaper of Filipinos in the Pacific NortHWé's’i
“With a bleeding heart, I
am resigned to the decision
that the war against Germany
demands prior consideration.
But has not the time arrived
to drive the Japanese out of
the Philippines? Remember.
that only in the Philippines
the American flag has been
humiliated. Let us avenge Ba
taan NOW!"—President Man
uel L. Quezon of the Philip
pine Government-in-Exile.
3 S 00 Cannery Workers
Needed This Summer
Cannery Workers and Farm La
borers Union Local 7. UCAPAWA.
CIO, needs 3500 cannery workers
this summer, according to T. A.
Rojo, president of the local union.
This is about 800 more than was
dispatched last year.
SEATTLE, WASH.
New Bill Introduced to Congress To
Open Citizenship in U. S. Pinoys
A bill authorizing the naturalization of native-born Fili
pinos who are permanent residents of the United States and
Filipinos who served in the military or naval forces of the
United States during World War I was introduced in the House
of Representatives February 18 by Congressman Harry R.
Sheppard, of California.
This bill is an impru‘vei‘neut ol' é—-—-————-——-f
the Randolph Bill introduced in J an
uary, which limits the privilege of
citizenship to those Filipinos who
arrived here before May, 1934. The
Sheppard Bill, known as HR. 4229,
does not set a date of entry into
this country as a requirement for
qualification in applying for citizen
ship. All it specifies is that a native
born Filipino “may be naturalized
upon compliance with all the re
quirements of the naturalization
laws,” and shall not be required
neither “declaration of intention"
nor “certificate of arrival.”
Section 2 of the Sheppard Bill
reads as follows:
SEC. 2—Section 303 of the Nation
ality Act, as amended, is amended
to read as follows:
“SEC. 303—The right to become a
naturalized citizen under the pro
visions of this Act shall extend only
to white persons, persons of African
nativity or descent, descendants of
races indigenous to the Western
Hemisphere, and Chinese persons or
persons of Chinese descent: Pro
vided, that nothing in this section
shall prevent the naturalization of
Filipinos or persons of Filipino des
cent as specified in sections 3238
and 324, nor of former citizens of
Escaped Engineer from Philippines
Has Viial Information for (luezon
Chester M. Peters, mining engi
neer in the Philippines for ten years
and who recently arrived in this
country after a thrilling escape
from the Japanese-controlled is
lands, has valuable information and
an important message for President
Quezon, he told the Forum editor in
an interview.
Peters belives he is the first civil
ian ever to escape from the Philip
pines and what he wants to tell
Philippine government 0 f f i c i a l 5
could not be told to the press.
“The Filipinos, especially the com
mon people. are very loyal to Amer
ica. They took care of us in the
hills." Peters told the Forum editor.
Asked about the pro-Japanese
people in the islands, Peters said
“those few opportunists working for
the Japs are not necessarily pro-
Axis; they are pro-Filipino."
In a March of Time broadcast in
Seattle, March 23, Mr. Peters spoke
of the endurance and ingenuity of
the Filipinos that could not be told
now. “The Filipinos' resistance
grows because of their faith in the
United States."
m as
“an:
'n‘flffll now
PARD, of California, who authored
HR. 4229, a bill introduced in the
U. S. Congress authorizing the na
turalization of native-born Filipinos
who are permanent residents of the
United States.
the United States who are otherwise
eligible to naturalization under the
provisions of section 317.”
WANTS TO SEE QUEZON—Chester
M. Peters, mining engineer in the
Philippines. and who has recently
escaped from the lap-infested is
lands, wants to see President Que
zon with valuable information which
he cannot release to the press.
There are still many Americans
free in the hills of the Philippines.
Peters said.
Mr. Peters is married to a Mia
who is related to Senator Ramon
Fernandez of Manila.
APRIL, 1944