Madeleine Bordallo

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2741) to amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the City of Hermiston, Oregon, water recycling and reuse project, and for other purposes.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2741, introduced by our colleague, Representative Greg Walden, would authorize the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, to participate in the planning, the design, and the construction of the city of Hermiston water recycling and reuse project. This legislation is a good example of how the Title 16 water recycling program can be used in a predominantly agriculture community to meet water quality standards, create a new water supply for irrigation, and help endangered species in the Umatilla River. I ask my colleagues to support passage of this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution that is now under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of former Guam Senator Jose ``Ping'' Andres Ramirez Duenas, a lifetime resident of the village of Dededo, Guam. Senator Duenas passed away on August 31, 2009 after a long illness. He was 78. Born on October 17, 1930, in Hagatna, Guam, Ping was the oldest of four sons of Juliana Ramirez Duenas and Jesus Camacho Duenas. Ping and I were classmates at George Washington High School, where we both graduated from in June of 1951. On April 19, 1954, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he married his high school sweetheart, Rosario Cruz Perez, fondly known as ``Ling''. Ping enrolled in Marquette University and later received his bachelor's degree in accounting from St. Thomas Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduation from college, Ping returned home and began his twenty-eight year career of public service with the Government of Guam. Ping started as an auditor with the Department of Administration before being promoted to chief accountant. In 1962, Ping and nineteen others joined together to form the Government of Guam Employees Federal Credit Union (GGEFCU). From an initial membership of twenty founding members, the GGEFCU has grown to over 40,000 members, three branches, and is an important resource for financial services to the Government of Guam employees. Ping sought political office in 1970 and was elected to four consecutive terms as a Senator in the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Guam Legislature from 1970 to 1978. He served on the Rules Committee; the Committees on Finance and Taxation; Federal and Foreign Affairs; and Natural Resources, Land and Community Development. He also served on the 1975 Legislative Task Force for the review of the federal- territorial political relationship with its findings to be reported to the White House. After serving as Chairman of the Democratic Party of Guam, Ping and I joined together as running mates in the 1990 gubernatorial election. While unsuccessful in our bid for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Guam, Ping would go on to continue his service to our community as Vice President of Financial Affairs for the University of Guam. While there, he helped in the growth of the university and was instrumental in the establishment of the Marine Laboratory. I join our community in mourning the loss of former Senator Jose Ramirez ``Ping'' Duenas. Ping was a good friend of Guam, and he devoted his life to serving our people. We extend heartfelt condolences to his wife, Rosario ``Ling'' Perez Duenas; his children, Joseph, Daniel, Anthony, Gerardlyn, Carina, Thomas, Marcella, and Julienne; his 25 grandchildren; his 16 great grandchildren; and his many family and friends. God bless the family and friends of Senator Duenas. He will be missed dearly.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the service and sacrifice of United States Army 1st Sergeant Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo. 1st SGT Crisostomo, originally from the village of Inarajan, Guam, was assigned to International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, Afghanistan. 1st SGT Crisostomo passed away on August 18, 2009 while on duty in Afghanistan. He was 59 years old and the oldest servicemember to perish in Afghanistan. 1st SGT Crisostomo was born on August 29, 1949 to Joaquin and Joaquina Crisostomo and lived a life of honor, service, and dedication to preserving his culture. Known to his friends and family as ``Joe'' or ``Uncle Sinbad,'' 1st SGT Crisostomo is remembered for his altruism, patriotism, and vibrant personality. He was active in promoting the Chamorro culture and was a founder and former president of ``Grupun Minagof,'' an organization established to help Guamanians living in Washington state. His leadership and dedication to his community and his family will remain an enduring legacy. A longtime member of the U.S. Army, 1st SGT Crisostomo re-enlisted in 2008 after previously serving for 24 years, which included tours of duty in the Vietnam War and the first Gulf War. 1st SGT Crisostomo was a two-time recipient of the Bronze Star for combat valor and received the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat. He was also awarded the Kuwait Liberation Medal in 1991. I join our community in mourning the loss of 1st SGT Crisostomo and in offering condolences to his wife, Patricia Leon Guerrero Crisostomo; his children, Tricia Renee, Jeffrey Joe (``Jay''), and Dominic Jay; his 10 grandchildren and to his many family and friends. 1st SGT Crisostomo served with honor and distinction, like the many sons and daughters of Guam who served before him, and he gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country. God bless the family and friends of 1st Sergeant Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo, God bless our men and women in uniform protecting our country, God bless Guam, and God bless the United States of America.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, on July 21, 2009, our community on Guam marked the 65th anniversary of our liberation from enemy occupation. It was a day of commemoration and celebration as we recalled the sacrifices made for our freedom by our elders who survived this brutal occupation and of the servicemembers who landed on our beaches to liberate us from the oppression of the enemy during war. My predecessor, General Ben Blaz, penned a narrative about the history of the Tiyan airfield on this occasion. Today, the Tiyan airfield is the site of the Antonio B. Won Pat Guam International Airport and General Blaz' narrative was printed in this year's Liberation Day Special Edition of the Pacific Daily News. I submit this narrative for print in the Congressional Record. It helps us connect the past with the present. It also helps us gain an appreciation for the history of the landscape that continues to serve today as an important transportation link for our island. This is one story of many through which we can understand and interpret the period of occupation, and the trials experienced and endured by the Chamorro people. nihi ta tasso . . . Time and tide have eroded and buried remnants of the barricades and trenches on the beaches of our island. The verdant jungle has reclaimed the old concentration camp sites over the past six and a half decades. Heavy foliage and buildings now camouflage pillboxes and fortifications anchored along expected landing sites to obstruct the advance of liberating forces. In contrast, a modest landing strip, built at Tiyan under extreme duress and a pervasive sense of personal insecurity by the Chamorros during the occupation in World War II, has risen from the ashes of war, a la the legendary Phoenix. It continues to grow with each passing year and now accommodates millions of visitors and handles thousands of tons of food and cargo so vital to the island's economy. Remarkably, Tiyan is the Chamorro word for stomach and the airfield there serves as Guam's breadbasket. Visitors from Asia, North America, and elsewhere as well as local citizens routinely arrive and depart from the airport, seemingly oblivious to how dearly we paid, with blood and tears, to carve its foundation out of a jungle for the enemy. The latte stones of antiquity enjoy a special place in our history. Considering the circumstances under which the original landing strip was built and its indispensability to the island's future, it has attained memorial stature at least among those who wielded the primitive tools to build it. It makes a worthy companion to the latte stone which, interestingly enough, was also used as foundation stone, among others, by our ancestors. The airport today dwarfs what we achieved during the occupation but it was built with earth movers, bulldozers, backhoe, and steamrollers. If, during the occupation, we had known the wonders that modern technology could perform, we might have said that what was being asked of us was impossible. And, having decided that, we might never have completed the airstrip. We would never have been able to overcome the psychological barrier that we would have created between us and the job's completion. There would have been nothing that the Japanese could do to make us get the project done. It would not be that we would have worked more slowly. In the actual construction, our lack of enthusiasm translated to a snail's pace in any event. Rather, we would have been so daunted by our perception of the enormity of the task that we simply wouldn't have been able to do it. Our naivete then worked to the Japanese's advantage. We got the job done simply because we didn't know that we couldn't! As we were finishing the airstrip, it was not possible to simply dismiss it as something we were forced to do. Surprisingly, most of us looked at it with a kind of pride of proprietorship. It was ours. We made it--not only the construction but survived the incredibly taxing ordeal. This was possible because of the older men in our forced labor groups who rose to lead us. There were many such men but I remember two of them in particular because they were my immediate leaders--Frank D. Perez and Nito Cristobal. We worked together, we prayed together and, on occasion, we laughed together. It was 1944 and I was 16. Evidently, American reconnaissance planes noticed that the airstrip was nearing completion and it became a daily target for bombing. Seeing the American planes bomb the airstrip in daylight was a tonic beyond description even though we knew we had to repair the runway that same night guarded by soldiers angered similarly beyond description. One of the ironies of our forced labor was how it played against one of the most cherished of Chamorro traditions, adalak, whereby neighbors helped one another build houses or prepare fields for crops. We participated in adalak willingly and from our hearts in keeping with our custom and tradition. The closest English translation of the word is ``happy labor.'' This was not so when we were digging caves, constructing barricades and felling the jungle to build an airstrip. In an incredible twist of fate, on June 20, 1944, during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Japanese lost more than 400 planes in a resounding defeat in air combat which U.S. Naval aviators referred to as the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. A month later, Guam was liberated by U.S. Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen. Following the capture of the Tiyan airstrip, we watched with astonishment and great delight as U.S. Navy Seabees widened, extended, and surfaced the runway with remarkable efficiency in but a few days. Seeing U.S. planes land and take off from ``our'' airstrip to continue the war against Japan made grown men cry. And teenagers, too. Poetic justice comes to mind.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 509) to reauthorize the Marine Turtle Conservation Act of 2004, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr).

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, growth of the southern sea otter population has been slow over the last decade because of high mortality rates. Otters die from many causes, including disease and parasites, malnutrition and entanglement in fishing gear. Additional action is needed to ensure the recovery of these animals is a success. H.R. 556, introduced by our colleague Congressman Sam Farr of California, would direct the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to implement a program that would address the decline of the southern sea otter by looking at health, mortality, and life history parameters, develop measures to reduce factors impacting marine ecosystems, health and human activities that limit sea otter populations, and to do so in accordance with consensus recommendations made by the Service's published Southern Sea Otter Recovery Plan. H.R. 556 has been substantially revised since it was introduced, largely to address concerns of coastal fishing interests. The bill also benefited from further changes to streamline the recovery and research grant program and clarify its scope as it advanced through the committee process. H.R. 556 is necessary to provide a stable and reliable source of funding for critically needed research, monitoring, and implementation of recovery actions. Its provisions would apply directly to southern sea otters, but because these otters are a keystone and a sentinel species, H.R. 556 would also benefit the California coastal ecosystem as a whole. So I urge Members, Mr. Speaker, to support the bill and reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 556) to establish a program of research, recovery, and other activities to provide for the recovery of the southern sea otter, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time and would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional speakers.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1121 is sponsored by our colleague Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina. The bill authorizes the exchange of approximately 192 acres of land owned by the Town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, for roughly 20 acres of land within the Blue Ridge Parkway, a unit of the National Park System. Both the town and the National Park Service support this exchange. All applicable laws and policy regarding environmental compliance and equalization of values will be followed. This is a good bill, Mr. Speaker, that resolves a longstanding management issue for both parties, so I ask my colleagues to support the passage of this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1121) to authorize a land exchange to acquire lands for the Blue Ridge Parkway from the Town of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. BORDALLO

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I again urge Members to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and I would inquire of the minority whether they have any additional speakers.