Hearing on the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007

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Hearing on the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007 S. HRG. 110–70 HEARING ON THE FILIPINO VETERANS EQUITY ACT OF 2007 HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION APRIL 11, 2007 Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 35-645 PDF WASHINGTON : 2007 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate 0ct 09 2002 13:59 Jun 25, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 H:\RD41451\DOCS\35645.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii, Chairman JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho, Ranking Member PATTY MURRAY, Washington ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania BARACK OBAMA, Illinois RICHARD M. BURR, North Carolina BERNARD SANDERS, (I) Vermont JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia SHERROD BROWN, Ohio LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina JIM WEBB, Virginia KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas JON TESTER, Montana JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada WILLIAM E. BREW, Staff Director LUPE WISSEL, Republican Staff Director (II) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 13:59 Jun 25, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\RD41451\DOCS\35645.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA CONTENTS APRIL 11, 2007 SENATORS Page Akaka, Hon. Daniel K., Chairman, U.S. Senator from Hawaii ........................... 1 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 5 Inouye, Hon. Daniel K., U.S. Senator from Hawaii .............................................. 1 Craig, Hon. Larry E., Ranking Member, U.S. Senator from Idaho ..................... 5 Murray, Hon. Patty, U.S. Senator from Washington ........................................... 18 WITNESSES Gaa, Hon. H.E. Willy C., Philippine Ambassador to the United States ............. 7 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 8 Legal, Moral and Historical Basis for Filipino Veterans Full Equity, attachment ..................................................................................................... 9 Aument, Ronald R., Deputy Under Secretary for Benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs ................................................................................................... 12 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 14 Panangala, Sidath Viranga, Analyst, Social Legislation, Congressional Research Service .................................................................................................. 20 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 22 CRS Report for Congress—Overview of Filipino Veterans’ Benefits, attachment ..................................................................................................... 25 Antonio, Luisa, Executive Director, San Francisco Veterans Equity Center ..... 39 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 40 Yangwas, Jenah Mari Paloy, SAVE Member, and Granddaughter of a Filipino WWII Veteran ...................................................................................................... 41 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 42 Manuel B. Braga, Commander, Filipino World War II Veterans Federation, San Diego County ................................................................................................ 46 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 48 Caleda, Art A., President of WWII Fil-AM Veterans and Ladies Auxiliary Hawaii Chapter .................................................................................................... 49 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 50 Ganio, Patrick G., Sr., National President, American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, Inc. ....................................................................................................... 52 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 54 Valdez, Benito, Filipino World War II Veteran ..................................................... 55 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 56 Ramsey, Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Price (Ret.), World War II Veteran ............ 57 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 58 APPENDIX Reid, Hon. Harry, U.S. Senator from Nevada, prepared statement .................... 65 Brown, Hon. Sherrod, U.S. Senator from Ohio, prepared statement .................. 65 Filner, Hon. Bob, U.S. Representative from California, prepared statement ..... 66 Magaoay, Hon. Michael, Y., State Representative from Hawaii, prepared statement .............................................................................................................. 67 Agbayani, Amy, Ph.D., Vice Chair, National Federation of Filipino American Associations Region 12 (Hawaii, Guam, and Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands), prepared statement ............................................................. 67 Andaya, Bryan, Esq., United Filipino Community Council (UFCH), prepared statement .............................................................................................................. 68 (III) VerDate 0ct 09 2002 13:59 Jun 25, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\RD41451\DOCS\35645.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA IV Page Batongmalaque, Jenny L., M.D., Executive Director, Filipino Veterans, prepared statement .............................................................................................. 68 Cabot, Cynthia C., Board Member, Guam Liaison, National Federation of Filipino American Associations Region 12, prepared statement ...................... 69 Calabas, Arcadio, President, Illinois Veterans Equity Center and the Amer- ican Legion Filipino American Post 509, prepared statement ......................... 70 Cuaresma, Charlene, President, Filipino Coalition for Solidarity, prepared statement .............................................................................................................. 71 Dilkes, Susan Espiritu, Member, National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity and the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, prepared statement .............................................................................................................. 71 Florentino, Max C., President, Filipino WWII Pensioners Association, Inc., and Defender of WWII Filipino Veterans, prepared statement ....................... 72 Gutierrez, Lynne, President, Oahu Filipino Community Council, prepared statement .............................................................................................................. 74 de Guzman, Ben, National Campaign Coordinator, National Alliance for Fili- pino Veterans Equity (NAFVE), prepared statement ....................................... 74 Letter in support of the Filipino Veterans Equity bill, attachment ............. 75 List of events commemorating April 9 as Day of Valor, attachment ........... 79 Hopkins, Margarita, President, and Colmenares, Serafin, Jr., Vice President, Congress of Visayan Organizations, prepared statement ................................. 81 Musico, Nic G., Adviser, WWII Fil-Am Veterans and Ladies Auxiliary Hawaii Chapter, prepared statement .............................................................................. 82 de Ocampo, Emmanuel V., President, Veterans Federation of the Philippines, prepared statement .............................................................................................. 83 Oculto, Tessie, President, Philippine Nurses Association-Hawaii, prepared statement .............................................................................................................. 83 Ramos-Razon, Beatrice, President, Nursing Advocates and Mentors, Inc., prepared statement .............................................................................................. 83 Letters in support of the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007: Lingle, Hon. Linda, Governor from Hawaii ....................................................... 84 Garcetti, Hon. Eric, Councilman, Thirteenth Council District, City of Los Angeles .................................................................................................................. 84 Wilfredo, Lieutenant Colonel Tungkol (Ret.), U.S. Army ................................. 85 Stewart, Kwoh, President and Executive Director, and Huang, Daniel, Pol- icy Advocate, Immigration and Citizenship Project, Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California, Los Angeles, California ......................... 85 VerDate 0ct 09 2002 13:59 Jun 25, 2007 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\RD41451\DOCS\35645.TXT SENVETS PsN: ROWENA HEARING ON THE FILIPINO VETERANS EQUITY ACT OF 2007 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2007 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:01 a.m., in room 418, Russell Senate
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