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Fil-Am vets lobby intensifies with arrests on the Hill
Follow up demonstrations, more
arrests anticipated in
October
By Rita Gerona-Adkins, Philippine News
FILIPINO World War II veterans Jaime
Pesongco and Elino Santiago of Chicago, Celestino Almeda of
Virginia, and Franco Arcebal of Los Angeles are marched off
to jail September 20 for participating in a civil
disobedience exercise at the nation’s capital to protest the
exclusion of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans
from a crucial White House meeting. They were released on
the same day.
An October 20 Filipino Veterans Liberation Day rally is
planned in Washington, D.C. with more arrests anticipated.
ERIC LACHICA/acfv
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - September 22, 2004 - Four Filipino World War
II veterans in their 80s, who participated in a civil disobedience
exercise, were arrested by the D.C. Park police September 20.
They were brought to a police precinct in Anacostia, about 40
minutes from the White House, where they were fingerprinted,
processed and fined – reminiscent of the time years ago when several
veterans who chained themselves in protest to the White House fence
on Pennsylvania Avenue, and a California congressman, Bob Filner,
longtime supporter of the Filipino veterans legislation, were hauled
off by the police for breaking the law.
The demonstration, held with a police permit at the south end of the
White House, between 17th Street and the Ellipse, was triggered by
the exclusion of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans (ACFV)
from a White House meeting facilitated by Susan Bonzon Ralston,
special assistant to Karl Rove – political adviser to President
George W. Bush, to discuss support for veterans legislation.
The demonstrators, which included about 20 uniformed veterans and
one veteran’s widow, came from New Jersey, New York, California,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
The four arrested were Franco Arcebal, 81, from Los Angeles;
Celestino Almeda, 86, from Oxon Hill, Maryland; Jaime Pesongco, 84,
and Elino Santiago, 81, both from Chicago, Illinois.
According to Jon Melegrito, public relations director for National
Federation of Filipino American Associations (Naffaa), the original
plan in communications with Ralston, was to have representatives of
three organizations – Naffaa, ACFV and the National Network for
Veterans Equity (NNVE) – in the meeting.
However, the White House only agreed to meet with Loida Nicolas
Lewis, Naffaa national chair, and Doy Heredia, the federation’s
national coordinator and chief of staff.
In a hurried letter to Ralston, Eric Lachica, ACFV executive
director, complained about the exclusion of veterans’ leaders from
the crucial meeting. “Mr. Arcebal is a WWII Filipino veteran who was
tortured by his captors during the war. He is also our
vice-president of membership and flew in last night from Los Angeles
for today’s meeting. He was invited Friday by Mr. Heredia and Ms.
Lewis to participate. He is very upset at this time and will report
this development to his fellow veteran leaders this a.m.”
Loida Nicolas Lewis, reached by Philippine News right after she
checked in from New York at a District hotel in preparation for the
White House 5 p.m. meeting, said, “The decision on who may attend
the meeting cannot be attributed to Susan Ralston. We learned it was
a White House decision, but I do not know who made that decision.”
Lewis also attributed to Ralston, who is the most known Filipino
American among the White House staff, the “breakthrough” in getting
to the White House on behalf of the veterans.
“Other than (VA) Secretary (Anthony) Principi, we have not had this
breakthrough until Susan made the arrangement on the veterans’
behalf,” she told PN. She also stressed that Ralston, “understood
the passion of my plea for support from Republican leadership, and
that’s why she acted in facilitating this meeting.”
She was referring to reactions from some in the audience at the gala
dinner of Naffaa’s 6th convention held Sept. 10-12 in Chicago, to
her impassioned speech challenging Republicans to urge party leaders
in Congress to move the Filipino WWII Veterans Equity bill for a
House committee hearing.
Asked by PN about the thrust of her discussion with the White House
staff, Lewis said, “The thrust of our presentation is to redress the
almost 60-year old issue of injustice to our Filipino WWII veterans
through HR 677 [the equity bill seeking to amend the Rescission
Act], which is our ultimate goal.”
The bipartisan bill, introduced in Feb. 11, 2003 by Rep. Randy
“Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.), with Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) as a
leading cosponsor, has presently 196 cosponsors, with only 19
Republicans. The thrust over the remaining few weeks is to get it up
to 218 cosponsors, the majority number that would empower the bill
for a House committee hearing, and hopefully for a floor vote,
before the November 2 elections and the 108th Congress ends this
year.
Asked if she, representing Naffaa, would also push for S.68, the
Senate bill that seeks to provide health benefits for Filipino
veterans in the Philippines who were not included in the two bills
signed into law last December by President Bush giving health access
only to U.S.-based Filipino veterans, Lewis said: “Our objective is
to seek a common ground, a win-win result that would most benefit
the veterans.
Sometimes in negotiations, one must be prepared to give a little in
order to take a little.
If the ACFV – Eric Lachica and Franco Arcebal – continue to push for
S. 68, they should not be discouraged, as Naffaa’s position for
pushing HR 677 should also not be discouraged. But in the process of
the exchange [at the White House meeting], I will urge for how best
the government can provide benefits to our veterans.”
Despite the expressed rhetoric for unity, both the Naffaa-led group
and the ACFV continue to disagree over which bill to prioritize, the
HR 677 as championed by the former, and S.68 by the latter.
Meanwhile, a group of about 40 young Filipino professionals and
college students have prepared themselves with self teach-ins for
lobby visits to members of the U.S. Congress who have not signed as
cosponsors of HR 677.
Led by Ben de Guzman, community director for the National Asian
Pacific American Legal Consortium, and Marlan Maralit, organizing
director of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance – two national
organizations with headquarters in D.C. – they gathered last Friday
at a local bar to map out their strategies for the campaign.
“We raised $1,000 – the second time in two weeks – to help out with
expenses of the veterans who will come for the congressional
hearing,” Michael Chupeco, member of Naffaa’s Region II youth
component and the Young Filipino Professionals organization, told PN.
He added: “The momentum for HR 677 has clearly built up, and we are
determined to continue to mobilize our communities for their
support, as we target veterans committee members to push the bill.”
The veterans and their supporters from the local area and the other
states are joining Naffaa, ACFV, NNVE, Apala, and the West
Coast-based Student Action for Veterans Equity (Save) for lobby
visits in Congress this week.
The American Legion, the biggest veterans organization in the
country, is expected to present a resolution urging action on
pending veterans’ legislation at a joint congressional hearing
scheduled September 21. In particular, the group is expected to urge
House veterans committee Rep. Chris Smith to open HR 677 for a
hearing, as well as express support for the provision of health
pension for Filipino veterans in the Philippines.
Other veterans who flew or drove to the nation’s capital for the
lobby campaign are: Fred Gomez, American Legion, Chicago: Frank
Obina, American Legion Post 509 Chicago; Guillermo Rumingan, ACFV
service officer, D.C.; Dr. Valentine Ildelfonso, vice-commander, Am.
Legion Alejo Santos, Pennsylvania; and Jose Genito and Fred Diaz of
N.J.
Other Recent Readings of Interest
This article originally appeared
in and is copyrighted in 2004 by the longstanding South San
Francisco-based Filipino American community newspaper,
the
Philippine News.
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