Shultz Backs Repair of Monuments on Historic Corregidor

CORREGIDOR, Philippines — Secretary of State George P. Shultz, a veteran of Pacific campaigns in World War II, pledged his support today for U.S.-Philippine plans to recapture this historic island’s battle monuments from vandals and jungle rot.

Shultz, in the first public appearance of a three-day trip to the Philippines, saw evidence of the decay during a tour of the island led by James Black Jr., a Corregidor-born businessman and historian.

Black said a down payment of $250,000 and annual donations of $100,000 are needed to repair and maintain the museum and memorial.

“We’ll see how we can be helpful in carrying out the project,” said Shultz, who was a Marine lieutenant in the Pacific in World War II. His wife, Helena, was an Army nurse in Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s command, but she did not serve on Corregidor.