US to search for war dead in Philippines

A retired Philippine military officer Michael Angelo Siscar pays his respect at the tomb stone of Darrel Wiseman of Illinois, a World War II soldier and a friend of his father, at the American Cemetery in Manila. The US pays tribute on Veterans Day to the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United State Armed Forces. AFP File Photo

MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE) The Philippines and the United States signed an accord Friday to jointly search for the remains of American troops missing in action in the Philippines during World War II.

The US Embassy said the “statement of intent” signed Friday by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. was the first step in setting guidelines for the search.

Thomas said that families of the missing have not been able to know their final stories and have not given them a proper burial for more than 65 years.

“The (agreement) honors the shared sacrifices made by the armed forces of both countries that stood together side by side to defend freedom during World War II,” the DFA said in a statement.

Under the agreement, Joint Prisoner-of-War and Missing-in-Action Accounting Command teams from Hawaii would make short, periodic trips to try, with local help, to find the remains of the US soldiers who were killed or went missing while fighting Japanese World War II occupation forces in the Philippines.

“Sadly, for over 65 years, many of those Americans who fought alongside Filipinos and gave their lives to liberate the Philippines in World War II have never been accounted for, as their remains have never been found,” Thomas said.

“Thanks to this new undertaking… we now have an opportunity to address this. We are grateful for this cooperation which will eventually bring closure to so many families,” Thomas said in a statement.

Neither side explained why it had taken so long to reach an agreement.

The 62-hectare Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines has graves of 17,202 Americans who died in WWII action, most in New Guinea and the Philippines. Tablets inscribed with names of the missing list 36,285, including some since recovered and identified, the cemetery website says.

Neither country gave current figures of the missing Friday, and it wasn’t clear if the cemetery’s figure was exclusive to the Philippines.

Also present during the signing ceremonies Friday were Defense Undersecretary Honorio Azucena, National Museum Director Jeremy Barns, and officials from the Department of National Defense and Interior and Local Government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine National Police.