SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – A monument built to honor over 35,000 Filipinos who served in the United States Navy was unveiled here last Wednesday, January 14.

The Filipino Shipmates Monument was built by the United States Sailors Alliance of the Philippines (USSAP), a non-profit organization of sailors of Filipino heritage who served or are currently serving in the US Navy or US Coast Guard.

The new landmark is located along Waterfront Road, in front in front of Bldg. 229, which used to be the headquarters of the US Navy when Subic was still an American military base.

The monument, which depicts three Filipino sailors in the US Navy, “embody the collective contributions of Filipino sailors, their sacrifices made far from home, their unwavering loyalty to the United States armed forces and their gallantry in the face of adversity,” said USSAP chairman Doce Salazar.

Several panels of granite around the three statues also contain the names of Filipinos who served in the US Navy and US Coast Guard.

Noel Vizcocho, USSAP secretary and a native of Castillejos, Zambales, said the largest of the three statues was modeled after Telesforo Trinidad, a Medal of Honor recipient who was cited for bravery during a boiler explosion aboard USS San Diego in 1915.

In May 2022, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced the naming of a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer after Trinidad, who risked his own life to save two of his shipmates during the said disaster at sea.

During the unveiling ceremony, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño said Subic a fitting location for a monument to honor the contributions of Filipino sailors in the US Navy.

“Subic has long been a bridge connecting our two nations, and today, this monument shows the strengthening of this bond even further. It tells future generations that Filipinos played an essential role in safeguarding peace and freedom across the seas,” he said.

According to the USSAP, over 35,000 Filipinos in the Philippines were recruited by the US Navy between 1901 and 1991 through recruitment centers in Subic Bay and Sangley Point in Cavite during this period. 

Photos by FUNtastic Subic Bay