Co-signed letter inviting members to the United States-Philippines Friendship Caucus

We invite you to join us in establishing the United States-Philippines Friendship Caucus.The Philippines has had an historically close and special relationship with the United States and has become our most active Asian ally in the war on terrorism.Because of this special relationship and our deep cultural ties and shared values, the Filipino-American population in the United States has grown dramatically in recent years.According to population estimates for 2002, there are more than 2.4 million Filipino-Americans currently living in the United States.The U.S.-Philippine Friendship Caucus would create a network of Members interested in the Philippines and concerned about U.S.-Philippine bilateral relations.It would also focus on the domestic needs and concerns of Filipino-Americans.With this network, we would be able to improve the dissemination of information about Philippine issues and allow Members to more easily pursue issues of mutual interest to the United States, the Philippines, and Filipino-American constituents.