MANILA,PHILIPPINES – United States of the America and the Philippine Government gear to cooperate in the plan for restoring Clark Veterans Cemetery
Last Tuesday during a short press briefing, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the US and the Philippine government have agreed to cooperate for the restoration of the Clark Veterans Cemetery in Clark Field, Pampanga.
The secretary told local reporters during a joint press conference with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario that the Philippines and the US governments negotiated for a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in the restoration, operation and maintenance of the Clark Veterans Cemetery.
“This agreement is not just another piece of paper. It’s about upholding a sacred promise to honor those who served and sacrificed on all of our behalf. So I am enormously gratified that we are ensuring that the 8,600 Americans and Filipinos who are buried in the hallow ground of that cemetery will receive the respect and the dignity that they deserve,” Kerry said.
At the same time, the American official also said he is likewise honored to lay a wreath at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig City Tuesday morning.
The Clark Veterans Cemetery, located in the Clark Freeport Zone, is the burial place for thousands of veterans, mainly American veterans and Filipino Scouts who served in the US Army and who died in conflicts other than World War II or on military bases in the Philippines.
In related news, Kerry invited the Philippines to participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement adding he expects a Filipino delegation in Washington early next year. Said agreement intend to create millions of jobs in the Asia-Pacific region. Kerry said the TPP will set standards for consumers and workers.
