Filipino Mayors Make Historic Visit to Hawai'i

The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) is a nationally recognized organization representing 40 million people living in 122 cities in the Philippines. A delegation from the LCP came to Hawai'i to sign a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation with the State of Hawai'i. This was the first agreement between an American state and group of cities from another nation and, with 12 mayors and one vice-mayor making the journey, the largest trip of its kind in the history of the Philippines.

Rep. John Mizuno (Kamehemeha Heights, Kalihi Valley, Fort Shafter) took the lead in welcoming the delegation. While they were here, the LCP representatives were welcomed with "Aloha Night" at the Philippine consulate, participated in a Disaster Preparedness/Risk Management Forum, toured the Civil Defense Center, toured the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, participated in a Tourism Forum, participated in a forum on Human Services and Juvenile Justice, toured Pearl Harbor and laid a wreath at the Arizona Memorial, were honored with a floor presentation by the House, and attended a reception at Washington Place for the signing of the Memorandum.

 “Forming a union with the League of Cities of the Philippines not only strengthens the bond between our Filipino-Hawaiian community and their country of origin, it connects the state with a valuable partner in the Pacific,” added Rep. Mizuno. “This trip marks the dawn of an era of increased economic, cultural, and social exchange between the state of Hawai’i and the Philippines.”

U.S. House expected to vote on Filipino Veterans bill Wednesday

Anticipating that the U.S. House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on S.1315, a bill that restores promised benefits to Filipino veterans who served in World War II, Rep. John Mizuno urged members of Congress to vote yes.

"Filipino veterans were promised benefits given to other WWII veterans, but in 1946 Congress enacted the Recission Act, which denied our World War II Filipino Veterans benefits equal to those enjoyed by other veterans," said Rep. Mizuno. "We need to correct this injustice to our Filipino veterans who served our nation courageously in the fight for freedom and democracy; so that they may spend their golden years enjoying benefits owed them for their sacrifices to our country."

He also referred to two resolutions that he introduced and were passed this year:

HR91 REQUESTING CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO ENACT THE FILIPINO AMERICAN VETERANS EQUITY ACT OF 2007 OR SIMILAR LEGISLATION PROVIDING VETERANS BENEFITS TO FILIPINO VETERANS WHO SERVED OUR NATION IN WORLD WAR II.

HR22 RECOGNIZING THE COURAGEOUS CONTRIBUTIONS AND SERVICE OF THE FILIPINO VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II.

Over 470,000 Filipinos fought for the United States and defended our country during World War II. Many of these soldiers are in their 70's and 80's today, and many more have already passed away. It is estimated that only 20,000 Filipino Veterans are still alive today.

"It's late, but please forgive us."

Those were the sentiments of U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye on the action take today by the U.S. Senate. They passed a bill restoring benefits for Filipino veterans of World War II, which was loudly applauded by the Hawaii House Filipino Caucus. The Senate authorized $221 million over the next decade for Filipino veterans living in the Philippines. The funds would go toward housing assistance, life insurance, and burial costs, and includes pensions of about $3,600 a year for low-income veterans.

"This is a landmark victory for the courageous Filipino veterans who fought bravely in World War II," said Rep. Michael Magaoay, chairman of the House Filipino Caucus. "We want to thank our two U.S. Senators, Senator Daniel K. Inouye and Senator Daniel K. Akaka, without whom this bill might never have passed."

It is estimated that 470,000 Filipinos fought in the war for the United States against the Japanese. Of that number, about 20,000 Filipino veterans are still alive, with 2,000 living in Hawaii and 13,000 in the Philippines.

"Even though many of the veterans have passed, we believe it is important to honor their memory and give them the recognition they deserve," added Rep. Magaoay. "It's an important lesson that we pass on to our children, that our Filipino ancestors played a role in fighting for the United States of America in the name of freedom, and that our country found it right and just to give Filipinos a place in history."

Lawmakers rally to support CKD bill

U.S. Congressman Neil Abercrombie spoke at the "Rally for Life" at the Capitol today in support of measures related to Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) that are going through the final stages of the legislative process.

Lawmakers and advocates of HB 2913, a bill that would provide a grant to St. Francis Healthcare System to support the modified home care and community health demonstration project and requires $1,000,000 in matching funds, gathered in the Rotunda to raise awareness about CKD, an epidemic that already affects nearly 20 percent of Hawaii's population.

The rally was sponsored by the Filipino Caucus and hosted by chairman Rep. Michael Magaoay.

Update: HB2913 is dead, but funds for chronic kidney disease may still be alive in the budget bill through a grant-in-aid. The AP story is here.

Bills to Help the Filipino Community

The Filipino Caucus, chaired by Rep. Michael Magaoay, today announced the passage of several bills and resolutions of importance to the Filipino community.

On May 25, Act 100 was signed into law. The measure requires the Office of Veterans' Services, at the request of a survivor or interested party of a deceased World War II Filipino veteran, to make payment directly to a mortuary or crematory for funeral and burial services, and to transport the veteran's remains to the Philippines.

Other measures help caregivers by exempting recipients of social service payments from the scope of employment related laws, establish the Pineapple Workers and Retirees Housing Assistance Fund for displaced Del Monte workers, call for a state-province relationship between the State of Hawaii and the province of Cagayan, and ask the US government to repay Filipino WWII veterans by enacting Filipino family reunification, or similar legislation, granting priority issuance of visas to Filipino veterans' children with approved immigration petitions.

There are 7,000 total Filipino veterans in the United States, 2,000 of whom reside in Hawaii.

For a list of all bills in the Filipino Caucus package, click here.

Photo: Members of the caucus met with leaders in the Filipino community in March to gather feedback and discuss topics such as veterans' benefits, diabetes and other health issues, and language interpretation services. From L: Reps Magaoay, Manahan, Finnegan, Mizuno.