PGMA cites long standing RP-US friendship

MANILA, July 4 (PNA) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the Philippines and the United States share a long-standing friendship based on family, shared history and commitment to democratic values.

The President’s message on the occasion of the Philippine-American Friendship Day, July 4, was read yesterday by Press Secretary Cerge Remonde during a media briefing this afternoon in Malacañang.

“The ties that bind our nations are strong. They are based on family, a shared history, and a common commitment to democratic values. This is a day that celebrates the special relationship between the Philippines and the United States,” the President said in her statement.

Filipinos and Americans have enduring historical, cultural and economic ties personified by the almost three million Filipinos who live in the United States including America’s important role in the history of the Philippines during World War II.

After 9/11, these bonds became even stronger when the President committed the Philippines in the fight against global terrorism.

In 2008, the United States remains the Philippines’ top trading partner, cornering 14.6 percent of the country’s total trade.

Last year, exports to the Unites States totaled .207 billion while imports were valued at 7.222 billion dollars, or a trade surplus of 985.84 million dollars.

Filipino Americans are the second largest Asian American group in the United States next only to the Chinese community.

The US Congress has established two months in celebration of Filipino-American culture in the United States.

The Asian Pacific American Heritage Month celebrated in May, and the Filipino-American History Month celebrated every October to commemorate the first landing of Filipinos on October 18, 1587 in Morro Bay, California.

In the Philippines, the Filipino-American Friendship Day is being commemorated every July 4, to commemorate the liberation of the country by joint Filipino and American forces from the Japanese occupation at the end of World War II.