Filipino Veterans Equity Act (Equity Bill)

[mabagani]

voted on tomorrow, show your support.
if you haven't already

online petition/letter to congress-
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1698/...paign_KEY=25436 (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1698/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25436)

info-
http://www.veteransequitycenter.org/index.htm

http://mabagani.blogspot.com/ (http://mabagani.blogspot.com/)

[mabagani]

http://www.gop.gov/c/portal/layout?p_l_id=PUB.1.111&p_p_id=56_INSTANCE_2Y0o&p_p_action=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_col_id=column-2&p_p_col_pos=3&p_p_col_count=4&_56_INSTANCE_2Y0o_groupId=1&_56_INSTANCE_2Y0o_articleId=HR_6897_110&_56_INSTANCE_2Y0o_version=1.0

[mabagani]

ADVISORY

Congressman George Miller, California’s 7th District

Point of Contact: Elise Amaya 925-602-1880

Rep. Miller’s Office to Host
World War II Filipino Veterans Workshop

On Wednesday, March 18, Congressman George Miller’s staff, working together with the Contra Costa and Solano County Departments of Veterans’ Services, will be hosting two workshops to assist WW II Filipino Veterans in applying for the one time benefit made available to them through the recently passed Recovery Legislation. Veterans and their families are encouraged to participate and may attend either workshop regardless of where they live.

Who’s Eligible:

· Persons who served before July 1, 1946, in the organized military forces of the
Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, while such forces were in the service of the Armed Forces of the United States.

· Members of the organized guerrilla forces under commanders appointed, designated, or
subsequently recognized by the Commander in Chief, Southwest Pacific Area, or other competent authority in the Army of the United States

· Persons who served in the Philippine Scouts under Section 14 of the Armed Forces
Voluntary Recruitment Act of 1945

· To be eligible for the new benefit, service members in each of the three categories above
must have been discharged or released from service under conditions other than dishonorable

Items needed to submit a claim:

· Two forms of identification such as a driver’s license, birth certificate, Senior
Citizen ID, Bureau of Post ID, Voter ID Card

· Philippines Veterans Affairs Office claim number

· Philippines Veterans Affairs Pension bank account number

· U.S Citizens should bring U.S. passport

· Military discharge documents

Location and times:

Wed., March 18
10:00am – 12:00pm
Bayanihan Center at Seafood City
3495 Sonoma Blvd.
Vallejo, CA 94590

Wed., March 18th
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Hercules City Hall, Council Chambers
111 Civic Dr.
Hercules, CA 94547

[excalibur]

Thank you for sharing this information with us.
Much appreciated.

[Hickory]

My Dad was a Bataan survivor - three years in the POW camps on Luzon and elsewhere. Among those he credited with saving his life was a Filipino, whose name he never learned, who sneaked him a couple of fistfuls of rice to share with the other POWs. God bless the Filipino Veterans who fought, bled, and died with our Fathers.

[mabagani]

April 9th is Bataan Day, and at SF City Hall there will be a commemoration and celebration of the Veterans Equity payment approval. All the Filipino WW II veterans in the greater San Francisco Bay Area (including Vallejo and Sacramento etc) are invited to attend the Bataan Day event on April 9 (10AM - 12noon) at the SF City Hall. Each of the veterans will be given a Special Award of Appreciation. Send veteran information (full name and address) to Rudy Asercion at rudyasercion@ gmail.com (http://us.mc821.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=rudyasercion%40gmail.com) by Thursday, March 26th.

[Carol]

:bow:

[sjansen]

Did this pass? I sent an email to my state and federal representatives asking what their stance was and I never got a reply.

[mabagani]

from
National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA)
http://www.naffaa.org/main/?p=168
National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity
http://nafve.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

[mabagani]

Day of Valor, Bataan Day flyer for SF Bay Area event 4/9/09
http://www.fanhs-santaclara.org/files/040909_DAY_OF_VALOR1_Final.pdf

[sjansen]

It's good to hear that someone is doing right by these veterans who put their life on the line for a country far from them. I hate to see the U.S. citizens forgetting about who helped them win the rights they get today.

[arnisador]

The Filipino veterans and the merchant mariners were shortchanged!

[mabagani]

shortchanged but not forgotten...at this point it was more about ending the injustice and racism etc

"...250,000 Filipino soldiers served under the American Flag. Promises were made to them during World War II. More than one million Filipinos died during the Second World War.
Today only 18,000 are still alive with more veterans dying everyday. It is time to end this injustice. If the issue is money, how come the US government can bailout private corporations with billions of taxpayer’s dollars? Filipinos fought for freedom and democracy. They are asking for recognition and not money like mercenaries. Their honor and dignity as soldiers have no value in dollars that was depreciate because their cause is greater than their lives. They served; they deserved to be honored with dignity and justice." -Arturo P. Garcia, National Coordinator

Thursday 4/9 Day of Valor at SF City Hall 10:30-12 noon
Reception following at Veteran’s Memorial Building, Room 207

DAY OF VALOR - BATAAN DAY

THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2009
10:00 – 12:00 Noon

SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL
2nd Floor Mayor’s Balcony

Sponsored by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
and

●National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Region 8

●Filipino American Political Action Committee (FAPAC)

●Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (FPACC)

●San Francisco-Manila Sister City Committee (SFMSCC)

●Young Filipino Professionals Association (YFPA)

●American Legion, Bataan Post 600

●Philippine American Press Club (PAPC)

●American Coalition for the Filipino Veterans (ACFV)

●Sons and Daughters of Filipino WW II Veterans

●Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS)

●Filipino American Democratic Caucus, State of California (FADC)

Reception following at Veteran’s Memorial Building, Room 207

Refreshments will be served, compliments of Joe Robles

San Francisco honors the Survivors of the Fall of Bataan which occurred on April 9, 1942, the Death March, and the battles to liberate the Philippines from the Japanese Occupation.

San Francisco celebrates the Passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the “Stimulus Bill”), which includes recognition and a provision allocating $198 Million to the Filipino WW II veterans for the “human suffering” they experienced in their valiant defense of the Philippines.

For More Information:
Rudy Asercion (415) 724-0641
Rodel Rodis (415) 334-7800 Jose Pecho (925) 286-6607
Ben Menor (408) 828-5593
Jinni Bartolome (415) 308-5258
Charito Benipayo (510) 301-4693

[sjansen]

I guess something is better than nothing. What can we in America do to facilitate more recognition. I am sure that calling someone in the Phillipines will do little to help the cause.

[mabagani]

One of the speeches from the Bataan Day of Valor with many of the Filipino WW2 veterans who attended the event
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOlvP1nfsA0