PRESERVING THE HELLSHIPS MEMORIAL FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
Download the PDF: The Clark Veterans Cemetery Precedent
Lessons for the Long-Term Preservation of the Hellships Memorial at Subic Bay
Prepared by : Hellships Memorial Foundation
Purpose: Policy discussion and groundwork for a long-term preservation agreement with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA)
Date: October 2026
Executive Summary
In December 2013, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) took over responsibility for Clark Veterans Cemetery in Pampanga. How that came about offers a useful precedent for the long-term care of the Hellships Memorial at Subic Bay.
After Clark Air Base closed in 1991, the cemetery remained on Philippine government land, but the U.S. military no longer maintained it. For more than twenty years, local American veterans, mainly members of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2485 in Angeles City, kept it up largely on their own. A sustained campaign by the Clark Veterans Cemetery Restoration Association, backed by national veterans’ organizations and members of the U.S. Congress, eventually produced federal legislation directing the ABMC to take over.
On December 16, 2013, the United States and the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The Philippine government kept ownership of the cemetery, and the ABMC took responsibility for its restoration, operation, and maintenance. In other words, one institution can own a memorial site while another is responsible for preserving it, provided a formal agreement sets out who does what.
That principle applies directly to the Hellships Memorial. Dedicated on January 22, 2006, the Memorial honors the Allied prisoners of war transported aboard Japanese ships during World War II, including those who died on the voyages or when their ships were attacked and sunk. Its location at Subic Bay is closely tied to the December 1944 sinking of the Oryoku Maru.
The two sites differ in important ways, but the Clark experience offers practical lessons on institutional responsibility, government cooperation, maintenance funding, and legal agreements. This report recommends that the Hellships Memorial Foundation (HMF) seek a formal preservation agreement with SBMA that sets out clear responsibilities for the Memorial’s protection, maintenance, restoration, public access, and future development. It also recommends building partnerships with the United States and the other governments whose nationals are commemorated at the Memorial.
1. Introduction
Memorials preserve the memory of people and events, give families and communities a place to remember, and help educate future generations. Historical importance alone does not keep them standing, however. Without clearly assigned responsibility, adequate funding, and durable arrangements, a memorial can deteriorate even when its significance is widely recognized.
Clark Veterans Cemetery shows how this happens. Despite its long association with the U.S. military and the thousands of veterans buried there, the cemetery was left without any permanent U.S. government maintenance arrangement after American forces withdrew from Clark Air Base in 1991. Saving it took years of advocacy, an act of Congress, and cooperation between the American and Philippine governments.
The Foundation faces a different but related challenge: making sure the Hellships Memorial stays protected, maintained, accessible, and meaningful for future generations. The Clark experience offers a useful model for building the institutional framework to do that.
2. Historical Background: Clark Veterans Cemetery
2.1 Origins and significance
Clark Veterans Cemetery lies within the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga. Its burials date back to the Philippine–American War and span later American military operations in the Philippines. In 1948, remains from four earlier American military cemeteries were consolidated at Clark. Today the cemetery holds more than 8,500 burials, including American service members, Philippine Scouts, military dependents, and civilians. More than 2,100 graves contain unidentified remains. Taken together, the cemetery represents more than a century of shared Philippine and American military history.
2.2 Closure of Clark Air Base
The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991 severely damaged Clark Air Base and hastened the American withdrawal. The base was formally handed over to the Philippines in November 1991, but no other U.S. government agency took over the cemetery. The Philippine government controlled the property but lacked the resources and arrangements needed for ongoing upkeep, and vegetation, volcanic debris, and deteriorating infrastructure took their toll.
2.3 The role of American veterans
Members of VFW Post 2485 in Angeles City stepped in. They cleared vegetation, maintained graves, organized volunteer work, and kept the cemetery operating, all with limited resources. For roughly two decades, the cemetery’s survival depended largely on these private efforts. Their work showed both the dedication of local veterans and the limits of volunteer maintenance for a site of this importance.
3. The Campaign for Federal Responsibility
3.1 The restoration campaign
The Clark Veterans Cemetery Restoration Association became the leading voice for renewed U.S. government responsibility. Its prominent figures included retired Navy Captain Dennis Wright and retired Rear Admiral Dan McKinnon. The association argued that because the U.S. military had established the cemetery and maintained it for decades, the United States had an obligation to ensure its continued care. Its campaign rested on three points:
1. The cemetery is an important part of American military history.
2. The veterans buried there deserve permanent and dignified care.
3. Volunteer organizations should not be expected to carry the financial and administrative burden indefinitely.
The association sought support from national veterans’ organizations and members of Congress.
3.2 Congressional involvement
In March 2012, Representative Frank Guinta introduced H.R. 4168, the Caring for the Fallen Act. In April 2012, Senators Kelly Ayotte and Mark Begich introduced S. 2320, the Remembering America’s Forgotten Veterans Cemetery Act. Both bills would have placed Clark Veterans Cemetery under the ABMC, and Rear Admiral McKinnon testified before Congress in support. By framing the issue as a matter of national responsibility rather than party politics, the campaign won bipartisan backing.
3.3 Enactment of legislation
On January 10, 2013, President Barack Obama signed Public Law 112-260, the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2012. Section 106 authorized the ABMC to restore, operate, and maintain Clark Veterans Cemetery once the two governments reached an agreement, and authorized funding for the restoration. The law was a major achievement, but putting it into effect still required negotiation between the two governments.
4. The December 2013 Memorandum of Understanding
On December 16, 2013, the United States and the Philippines signed an MOU on Clark Veterans Cemetery. U.S. Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg signed for the United States, and Arnel Paciano D. Casanova, President and CEO of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), signed for the Philippines. The agreement set up a cooperative arrangement between the Philippine government and the ABMC. Five of its features are relevant here.
4.1 Ownership stayed with the Philippines
The Philippine government kept ownership of the cemetery, and no land was transferred to the United States. This was central to the arrangement: it showed that preservation duties could be formally assigned without any change in ownership.
4.2 The ABMC took on maintenance
The ABMC assumed responsibility for restoration, operation, and maintenance, becoming the main institution charged with ensuring the cemetery received professional care. A system that had depended heavily on volunteers was replaced by one backed by the U.S. government.
4.3 Long-term continuity
The MOU set an initial term of ten years, renewing automatically for further ten-year periods. This provided continuity while still allowing either party to review or end the arrangement through set procedures.
4.4 Clearly defined responsibilities
The agreement covered maintenance, access, operations, future burials, and coordination with Philippine authorities. Putting these in writing removed uncertainty about who was authorized, and expected, to act.
4.5 A practical model for international cooperation
Above all, the agreement showed that two governments could work together to preserve a historic site while respecting Philippine sovereignty and property rights. This is the aspect of the Clark precedent most relevant to the Hellships Memorial.
5. The Hellships Memorial at Subic Bay
5.1 Historical significance
The Hellships Memorial was dedicated at Subic Bay on January 22, 2006. It commemorates the Allied prisoners of war transported aboard Japanese ships during World War II. Thousands of American, British, Australian, Dutch, and other Allied prisoners suffered and died on these voyages. Subic Bay holds particular significance because of the Oryoku Maru tragedy of December 1944. The Memorial gives descendants, veterans, researchers, government representatives, and the public a permanent place to remember these events.
5.2 An international memorial
Clark Veterans Cemetery is mainly tied to American military history. The Hellships Memorial, by contrast, honors prisoners from several Allied nations. That opens the door to cooperation with a number of governments and veterans’ organizations, including those of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Netherlands, alongside Philippine authorities. This international character is a strength. It also means no single foreign government should be expected to take responsibility for the Memorial.
5.3 The need for a permanent preservation framework
The Foundation has done much to keep the Memorial and its history in the public eye. Its work goes beyond commemoration to include historical research, casualty identification, maritime archaeology, education, and outreach to descendants. Even so, the Memorial’s long-term care should not depend entirely on individual volunteers or Foundation officers. A formal agreement with SBMA would give the Memorial institutional continuity and set clear procedures for maintenance, repairs, improvements, ceremonies, fundraising, and public access.
6. Comparison of the Two Sites
Purpose
Clark: Burial and remembrance of military personnel and others
Hellships: Remembrance of Allied POWs transported aboard Japanese hellships
Location
Clark: Former Clark Air Base
Hellships: Subic Bay Freeport
Philippine authority
Clark: BCDA
Hellships: SBMA
Property ownership
Clark: Retained by the Philippine government
Hellships: Under SBMA’s property and administrative authority
Maintenance to date
Clark: U.S. military, then volunteer veterans
Hellships: Existing local arrangements, with HMF involvement
Preservation challenge
Clark: No permanent federal responsibility after 1991
Hellships: Long-term preservation and maintenance not yet formalized
Advocacy organization
Clark: Clark Veterans Cemetery Restoration Association
Hellships: Hellships Memorial Foundation
Government agreement
Clark: U.S.–Philippine MOU signed in 2013
Hellships: Proposed SBMA–HMF agreement
Long-term responsibility
Clark: ABMC
Hellships: To be set by agreement
Funding
Clark: U.S. government
Hellships: Possible mix of SBMA support, HMF fundraising, and sponsors
The two sites face similar preservation challenges but differ in legal status, ownership, and institutional responsibility.
7. Lessons from the Clark Precedent
Lesson 1: Ownership and maintenance can be separated
At Clark, a Philippine government entity kept ownership while another institution took on defined preservation duties. The same approach could work at Subic Bay: SBMA would keep ownership and administrative authority, while HMF would take on specific preservation, education, and fundraising responsibilities. No property would change hands. What is needed is a written record of each party’s authority and obligations.
Lesson 2: Written agreements are essential
For years, Clark Veterans Cemetery depended on informal arrangements and volunteer work. Those efforts kept the cemetery going, but they could not offer the stability of a formal agreement. The 2013 MOU did. An agreement for the Hellships Memorial should cover:
• Routine maintenance and landscaping
• Procedures for repairs and restoration
• Authority to make improvements
• Funding arrangements
• Access for visitors and commemorative ceremonies
• Historical interpretation and signage
• Protection against unauthorized alteration or relocation
• A process for resolving disagreements
• Continuity if Foundation leadership changes
Lesson 3: A government partnership is more sustainable than volunteers alone
Clark shows that volunteers can preserve a historic site for many years, but relying on them alone is risky. Volunteers move on, donations rise and fall, and maintenance needs grow as structures age. A partnership between SBMA and HMF would combine the strengths of both: SBMA brings administrative authority and local infrastructure, while HMF brings historical expertise, international contacts, research capability, and access to donors.
Lesson 4: International recognition strengthens preservation
The Clark campaign drew strength from veterans’ organizations and members of Congress. The Hellships Memorial can draw on an even wider community, since its history spans prisoners from several Allied nations. Formal recognition from foreign embassies, veterans’ organizations, and historical institutions would raise the Memorial’s standing and help with fundraising, even without any financial commitment attached.
Lesson 5: Preservation needs predictable funding
A key weakness of the pre-2013 arrangement at Clark was its dependence on donations and volunteer labor. The Hellships Memorial needs a funding structure that can cover routine maintenance and periodic restoration. Possible sources include corporate sponsorships, individual donations, grants, and dedicated preservation funds. A maintenance reserve or endowment would help protect the Memorial from swings in annual giving.
8. Proposed Framework for an SBMA–HMF Memorandum of Agreement
Based on the Clark precedent, a formal Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between SBMA and the Foundation is the logical next step. The framework below is a starting point for negotiation. It proposes a division of responsibilities rather than describing existing commitments, and it should be checked against current property and maintenance arrangements.
Area
Proposed SBMA role
Proposed HMF role
Property
Retain ownership and administrative authority
Recognize SBMA’s authority
Routine maintenance
Provide or coordinate agreed grounds and infrastructure maintenance
Monitor condition and report maintenance needs
Memorial preservation
Approve structural repairs and alterations
Develop preservation recommendations and help raise funds
Funding
Consider in-kind services and budget support
Seek donations, grants, and sponsorships
Ceremonies
Facilitate permits, access, and logistics
Organize remembrance events
Historical interpretation
Approve permanent installations
Provide research, historical content, and educational materials
Improvements
Review and approve proposed projects
Prepare proposals and identify funding
International relations
Support coordination with relevant Philippine agencies
Engage foreign embassies and veterans’ organizations
Long-term planning
Take part in periodic preservation reviews
Prepare preservation plans and annual activity reports
8.1 Term
An initial ten-year term, renewable for successive periods, would provide reasonable continuity. The agreement should also provide for periodic review.
8.2 Protection of the Memorial
The agreement should require consultation and written approval before any relocation, removal, or substantial alteration of the Memorial. Where the law allows, it should also require that the Memorial’s historical and commemorative significance be considered before any decision affecting the site.
8.3 Financial responsibilities
The agreement should distinguish among routine maintenance, major repairs, and new development. Doing so will reduce the risk of disputes over who pays for what.
8.4 Joint coordination committee
SBMA and HMF should consider forming a small joint committee that meets once or twice a year to review maintenance, upcoming ceremonies, improvements, and preservation priorities.
8.5 Continuity
The agreement should address what happens if Foundation leadership changes, the organization is restructured, or the Foundation can no longer carry out certain responsibilities. The overriding goal is uninterrupted protection of the Memorial.
9. Potential Role of the U.S. Government
The Clark precedent naturally raises the question of whether the United States might one day help support the Hellships Memorial. The idea deserves consideration, but the legal situation is different. Clark Veterans Cemetery was a former American military cemetery containing thousands of graves. The Hellships Memorial is a commemorative monument created through private initiative and dedicated to prisoners of several nationalities. There is no basis for assuming that the ABMC could or would take responsibility for it. Several other forms of cooperation are worth exploring, however.
9.1 U.S. Embassy support
The Foundation could approach the U.S. Embassy in Manila about taking part in commemorations, recognizing the Memorial’s history, and supporting suitable preservation projects.
9.2 Veterans’ organizations
American veterans’ organizations could offer endorsements, publicity, and fundraising help. The Clark campaign showed how much influence coordinated veterans’ advocacy can have.
9.3 Congressional recognition
Members of Congress with an interest in veterans’ affairs, military history, or U.S.–Philippine relations could be asked to formally recognize the Memorial’s historical significance. Any request for federal funding or a formal government role would need separate legal and policy review.
9.4 Historical and educational partners
American military history institutions, museums, and research organizations could become partners in educational programs and historical documentation, raising the Memorial’s profile without any transfer of responsibility.
10. A Sustainable Funding Model
A formal agreement with SBMA should be backed by a realistic financial plan. The Foundation has already begun developing a corporate sponsorship program, which could become an important source of long-term support.
This report recommends a dedicated Hellships Memorial Preservation Fund to receive donations earmarked for maintenance, restoration, and improvements. Corporate sponsors could underwrite specific items such as annual grounds maintenance, granite conservation, interpretive signage, accessibility improvements, or remembrance ceremonies. Multi-year sponsor commitments would be especially valuable, since they allow the Foundation to plan ahead rather than rely entirely on each year’s fundraising. An annual financial report would show donors how preservation funds are spent.
11. Recommended Action Plan
Phase 1: Establish the institutional framework (within three months)
Request a formal meeting with SBMA leadership and its legal and facilities staff to reach agreement in principle on a long-term preservation arrangement. Before drafting, both parties should confirm the Memorial’s current legal and property status, including any earlier resolutions, agreements, or maintenance commitments. HMF should then prepare a draft MOA based on the principles in this report.
Phase 2: Document preservation needs (three to six months)
HMF and SBMA should carry out a joint condition assessment covering the granite panels, inscriptions, structural components, landscaping, drainage, lighting, access, and surrounding infrastructure. The assessment should identify routine maintenance needs and expected major repairs, and its findings should form the basis of a five-year maintenance plan.
Phase 3: Secure funding (six to nine months)
Set up the dedicated preservation fund and seek corporate sponsors for recurring maintenance costs. Develop an annual maintenance budget jointly with SBMA that separates services SBMA provides directly from expenses HMF pays for.
Phase 4: Build international recognition (within twelve months)
Develop a coordinated outreach program to foreign embassies, veterans’ organizations, and historical institutions to raise awareness of the Memorial and invite participation in its preservation. The annual December 15 remembrance of the Oryoku Maru tragedy would make a natural focal point.
Phase 5: Review annually (ongoing)
SBMA and HMF should review the Memorial’s condition, preservation needs, funding, and public activities each year. A short annual preservation report, shared with sponsors, partner institutions, and the public, would support transparency and continuity.
12. Conclusion and Recommendation
Clark Veterans Cemetery shows what sustained advocacy and institutional cooperation can achieve. After the American withdrawal in 1991, the cemetery depended for more than two decades on local veterans. Their persistence led to an act of Congress and a bilateral agreement that gave the U.S. government permanent responsibility for its care.
The lesson is not that every overseas memorial with an American connection should become the responsibility of the U.S. government. It is that historic memorial sites need clearly defined responsibilities, dependable maintenance, and formal agreements that can outlast changes in leadership and funding.
The Hellships Memorial is an important site of international remembrance, and its future should not rest on individual volunteers or occasional donations. The Foundation and SBMA have the opportunity to build a cooperative arrangement that protects the Memorial, respects the authority of the Philippine government, and honors the many nations whose prisoners are commemorated there.
The Foundation should therefore use the Clark precedent mainly as a model for negotiating a durable preservation agreement with SBMA, not as an argument that the U.S. government should take over the Memorial. The immediate priority is an agreement that:
• confirms SBMA’s continuing authority over the Memorial property;
• sets out the respective preservation and maintenance responsibilities of SBMA and HMF; and
• creates a cooperative mechanism for funding and protecting the Memorial over the long term.
With that framework in place, the Foundation will be better placed to seek international recognition, corporate sponsorship, and possible government assistance, and to keep the Memorial a place of remembrance, education, and friendship among nations for generations to come.
13. References
1. Public Law 112-260, Dignified Burial and Other Veterans’ Benefits Improvement Act of 2012. Section 106 authorizes the ABMC to restore, operate, and maintain Clark Veterans Cemetery.
https://www.congress.gov/112/plaws/publ260/PLAW-112publ260.pdf
2. H.R. 4168, Caring for the Fallen Act. Introduced by Representative Frank Guinta, March 8, 2012.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/4168
3. S. 2320, Remembering America’s Forgotten Veterans Cemetery Act. Introduced by Senator Kelly Ayotte, April 19, 2012.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-bill/2320
4. Congressional hearing record, including testimony by Rear Admiral Dan McKinnon on the campaign for federal responsibility.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112hhrg73775/pdf/CHRG-112hhrg73775.pdf
5. Memorandum of Understanding, December 16, 2013, between the United States and the Philippines on the restoration, operation, and maintenance of Clark Veterans Cemetery (Philippine Supreme Court E-Library).
https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/35/91065
6. American Battle Monuments Commission, Clark Veterans Cemetery.
This is a discussion draft for policy purposes, not a legal opinion. Details of the Clark legislation and agreement should be checked against the official documents, and any proposed SBMA–HMF agreement should be reviewed by Philippine legal counsel. Existing SBMA resolutions, property records, and maintenance commitments should be confirmed before negotiations begin.
