Media Advisory

Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV)

September 17, 2008

Los Angeles

House Version of SB 1315 still hangs in The balance

Los Angeles - It’s been 18 years running and with less than a week left, the house version of SB 1315 still hangs in a balance.

The democrats led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi have not authorized the bill to be discussed or voted on the floor since April.

House veterans affairs committee chairman Bob Filner, running for re-election in California’s heavily ethnic southern San Diego district, has offered a compromise bill that would provide a one-time, lump-sum payment of ,000 for US-based Filipino veterans and ,000 for those in the Philippines.

JFAV and ACFV and other veterans advocates have rejected the Filner proposal, confident that S-1315 still has a chance.

“The way we see it,” says Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) leader Arturo P.Garcia said: “The Democrats are not doing their job. We voted them into office to pass this bill. But now, they are not moving and making the same empty promises.”

“This election is payback time. We will act according to their record in delivering this bill to us. There are 4.5 million Filipinos in America and that’s a large count for them to rely on to get voted into office. Pelosi and Filner should watch out.” Garcia exclaimed.

“1315 is alive and well,” stressed Eric Lachica, executive director of the American Coalition of Filipino Veterans.

“We looked at the legislative procedures and the politics behind the scene to make it happen. Kung mapasa ng House in whatever form S-1315 is voted upon, it will be fixed in the conference committee,” Lachica explained.

“Speaker Pelosi has to act, she has to show leadership,” he stressed, “Chairman Filner has to broker a deal with the Speaker and Chet Edwards. So ‘yon lang ang simple formula. We’re focused on those three people.”

The Senate voted 96-1 to approve S-1315 last April. It was the farthest the Filipino veterans equity bill has ever gone. The bill aims to reverse the 1946 Rescission Act that stripped Filipino soldiers who served under the US Armed Forces during World War II of their veteran status.

But the struggle to win equity only shifted to high gear when Democrats won control of Congress.

Lachica said they are focusing their efforts on three key people – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Filner and House appropriations committee chairman Rep. Chet Edwards.

“Nakataya na ngayon ang bill sa House. The Speaker will have to make a determination when to bring it up for a vote,” he explained. Sources say the process has been snagged by Pelosi’s alleged reluctance to gamble with the bill’s success on the floor and, more insidiously, they say, a rift between the Speaker and the equity bill’s chief proponent, Congressman Filner.

“We are urging all our San Francisco (Pelosi’s congressional district) area leaders to focus on Pelosi to get S-1315 scheduled for a vote,” Lachica said.

“We’ve also asked our southern California leaders to prevail on Chairman Filner to talk to the Speaker to have it scheduled,” he added.

The bill’s supporters have tapped friends like Rep. Mike Honda (15th district, California) and Pelosi’s assistant Rep. Xavier Becerra (31st district, California) to serve as go-betweens for the Speaker and Filner.

But Lachica labels the current impasse as a “Democratic leadership problem, it’s not a partisan problem”.

For more information contact Al P.Garcia at (213)241-0995 or email at jfav_causa@yahoo.com or visit our website at myspace.jfavla.com

“This election is payback time. We will act according to their record in delivering this bill to us. There are 4.5 million Filipinos in America and that’s a large count for them to rely on to get voted into office. Pelosi and Filner should watch out.” Garcia exclaimed.