... sense of history. As two great journalists put it, “the numerous national monuments that give Washington its physical and spiritual identity are as revered by the home folks as they are by the thousands of tourists who come streaming in every year at cherry-blossom time. ” Indeed, many people attempt to make it to Washington, D.C. not only because they seek to honor America’s great national heritage, but also because they want to be part of it, in however small a way. But on this summer night of June 16, 1975, I felt that somehow I just might be a part of the history of the United States and of my country, the Philippines. Perhaps I would be no more than an insignificant footnote, but I would certainly be part of the historical record of one of the chambers of the bicameral Congress of the United States of America. In the midst of such heady thought, I was sobered by a warning given earlier by former Senator Raul S. Manglapus,1 president of the Movement for a Free Philippines (MFP),2 that I should not expect too much—presumably by way of publicity—out of this visit to Washington, D.C. He suggested that I should think of my mission in Washington, D.C. as a bold strike for a great national struggle being waged by Filipinos back home in the Philippines. I told him that I was going to Washington, D.C. in response to an invitation from a committee of the United States Congress. I will not ...
1 Raul Manglapus (1918–1999) was a Filipino lawyer, soldier, journalist, and statesman. A prolific writer, a brilliant orator, and a keen political analyst, Manglapus was elected to the Senate in 1961, serving until 1967. He was in the United States for a speaking engagement when Martial Law was declared, and dedicated himself to opposing Marcos even while abroad, founding the Movement for a Free Philippines. Returning to the country in 1986, he was re-elected as senator the following year until he was appointed as Secretary of Foreign Affairs by President Corazon Aquino. After serving out his term as Secretary, Manglapus retired from politics and lived a quiet life until his death in 1999. 2 The activities of the MFP are discussed in Jose V. Fuentecilla’s volume, Fighting from a Distance: How Filipino Exiles Helped Topple a Dictator (Urbana, Chicago, and Springfield, IL:The University of Chicago Press, 2013). Fuentecilla is a former secretary-general of the organization.