Letter to Bob Filner: Pass the House Version of SB 1315 , Now!

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September 11, 2008

Representative Bob Filner
2428 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Bob Filner,

We, the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), heard that you have confirmed that “S. 1315 is dead because you do not have the 2/3 majority votes needed to pass it.”

You further said, “Speaker Pelosi can crack the whip for the 40 or so Democrats holding out but she won’t. She is concerned that their (40+ Reps) re-election bids will be affected by this vote. [Filner] does not agree but [he] does not have the whip.”

We also heard that you will be proposing a supplementary bill similar to S. 1315 except for the pension part. Instead of the monthly pensions ($1,000-US; $300-Philippines), you will propose a lump sum payment ($15K-US; $9K-Philippines) to allow aging veterans to go home to the Philippines (if that is what they intend) and be with their families back home.

We believe it is not full equity, and this proposal will only change the language of the bill.

We want to remind you of the failed efforts of then President Fidel Ramos and Alex Esclamado of NaFAA, who asked, then US President, Bill Clinton for a $20,000 lump sum for the Filipino veterans in 1997. That effort failed. Please do not repeat this same mistake.

We do not see the logic of asking for a lump sum if you cannot first pass the House version of S. 1315. We cannot change the objectives in the midst of our efforts.

JFAV will continue to support ACFV efforts, along with lobby groups including NAFVE and NaFAA in Washington.

While we, as a Filipino-American community, always appreciate your efforts for the Filipino veterans, we do not agree with the direction you are taking. But, we will ask you to go an extra mile for our cause and let it not be you who will let it go to waste after 18 years of long, hard struggle.

We want equity, we want justice, and we want it now!

Pass the House version of S. 1315 now!

Sincerely yours,

JFAV-Los Angeles

by Justice for Filipino American Veterans Thursday Sep 11th, 2008 11:42 AM

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While we, as a Filipino-American community, always appreciate your efforts for the Filipino veterans, we do not agree with the direction you are taking. But, we will ask you to go an extra mile for our cause and let it not be you who will let it go to waste after 18 years of long, hard struggle.

We want equity, we want justice, and we want it now!

Pass the House version of S. 1315 now!