Rep. Filner said that about 15% of the population in his district are Filipinos whose estimated number is 100,000. He attributed the “secret” of his “(political) success” to the Filipino community in his district “because they’re very loyal.”

Secretary Romulo apprised Rep. Filner on the Philippines’ counter-terrorism campaign and on the status of the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). He informed the American legislator from California that in the last three years, the government’s ceasefire agreement with the MILF has been holding, and because there is now relative peace and order in southern Philippines, this region attained the second best economic growth rate in 2005. Secretary Romulo added that the Philippines has been working with the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) and with its ASEAN neighbors in pushing the peace process forward. Although it has recently hit an impasse on technical details centering on the issue of ancestral domain, Secretary Romulo said that he remains hopeful that a durable and lasting peace in Mindanao can be achieved.

Secretary Romulo further informed Rep. Filner that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is now politically stronger than the year before, citing the fact that the opposition mustered less than 10% of the House members’ votes in its latest move to impeach her He also said that the issue of the people’s initiative to effect Charter change is now pending in court for its decision.

Secretary Romulo had previously met with other American legislators from both the Democratic and Republican parties on issues of interest to the Philippines, particularly with the members of the US-Philippines Friendship Caucus which is bipartisan in composition.

Late last month, Rep. Filner, minority Leader of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has introduced H. Con. Res.481, which urges the President to authorize the return of two church bells, currently on display at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, to the people of the Philippines.

The New York City Council has passed a resolution in support of Filner’s legislation on September 28, the anniversary of a 1901 battle between Filipino and American soldiers in the town of Balangiga on the island of Samar, Philippines.

“As a result of this conflict between Filipino and American troops, the bells in the church were taken to the United States as war trophies and ever since have been on display at F.E. Warren Air Force Base," said Congressman Filner. “I am introducing H. Con. Res. 481 as a result of a vote by the Wyoming Veterans Commission to return the bells to the church in Balangiga."

The citizens of Balangiga have erected a memorial that includes the names of the Filipino and American soldiers who lost their lives in the 1901 incident, and the town honors these war dead on September 28th each year. Filipino people have requested the return of the bells to the original setting in the Balangiga Parish where they could ring again, after 105 years of muteness, as a symbol of this bond.

“The acts of conflict that surrounded the bells of Balangiga are not consistent with the friendship that is an integral part of the relationship between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States. Filipino soldiers have fought side by side with American troops in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and the bells should more properly serve as a symbol of friendship and not of conflict," said Filner.