Sen. Inouye vows continued support to cause of Filipinos

WASHINGTON DC – President Benigno S. Aquino III called on US Senator Daniel Inouye during his visit to the United States capital on the second leg of his four-day official working visit to the US.

During the call, Inouye reiterated his continued support to the country and the Filipino people, especially the war veterans.

The Chief Executive, who was joined by Cabinet members led by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, Transportation Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas and Presidential Communications and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ramon Carandang, met with Inouye at the Senator’s Committee on Appropriations Office at the ground floor of the Capitol Building here.

The President took the time to personally thank the US Senator, who is also Senate Pro-Temporare, for all the help extended to the Filipino people during the meeting that lasted for 15-minutes.

“The purpose of the whole trip is to personally thank you for so many things. Thanks to you, we’ve had a very productive trip,” the President told Inouye.
In response, Inouye vowed to continue supporting President Aquino’s administration and the Filipino people.

Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, the most senior member of the U.S. Senate and the President Pro-Tempore, is known for his distinguished record as a legislative leader, and as a World War II combat veteran with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, who earned the nation’s highest award for military valor, the Medal of Honor.

Although he was thrust into the limelight in the 1970s as a member of the Watergate Committee and in 1987 as Chairman of the Iran-Contra Committee, he has also made his mark as a respected legislator able to work in a bipartisan fashion to enact meaningful legislation.

As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Inouye has been able to focus on defense matters that strengthen national security, and enhance the quality of life for military personnel and their families. This reflects his hope for a more secure world, and his desire to provide the best possible assistance to the men and women who put their lives at risk to protect the United States.

In addition, he is the Ranking Democrat on the Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee and sits on the Rules Committee. He helped establish the Inter-parliamentary Exchange Program between the U.S. Senate and Japan’s legislature, and in 2000 the Government of Japan presented him with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

Early in his tenure in the Senate, Senator Inouye delivered the keynote address at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, and was under consideration to become Hubert Humphrey’s vice-presidential running mate that same year. He became the first Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in 1976, served as the third-ranking leader among Senate Democrats as Secretary of the Democratic Conference from January 1979 through 1988. He chaired the Senate Democratic Central America Study Group to assess U.S. policy and served as Senior Counselor to the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America.