Justice and Equity, Now!

A CALL TO ACTION:

July 20, 2008

Dear Friends,comrades and all activists:

Militant and a determined greetings!

The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), an alliance of veterans, students, youth and community advocates calls on all Filipinos, Filipino Americans and allies to write to Speaker of the House Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and 245 congresspersons to discuss and pass the equity bill, HB 760 pending before the lower house of the US Congress, NOW!

Last July 18 and 19, during the emergency conference of the JFAV ,Filipino veterans groups like PAVA-SC, SGS and UFAV with the Washington ACFV we decided to ask for a vote on th HR 760 on the floor of the US Congress. This is after a long wait and the promise of Speaker Pelosi that " if we got 290 votes she will put the bill on the floor." We feel that at most we have 220 votes to pass the bill. Waiting for 290 will just delay the bill to eternity.

For four times, Congressman Bob Filner and Pelosi promised to pass the bill for the last two years to no avail.

Please email, write them letters and call or fax their offices for them to act on the bill ASAP. The US Congress is ending its session by August 31. Remember its election time this year. Let not the elections sidetrack our advocacy for our veterans.

On the 67th anniversary of the conscription of the Filipinos into the USAFFE, let's make our voices be heard!

JUSTICE AND EQUITY NOW!

KUNG HINDI NGAYON, KAILAN PA!

For the Justice for the Filipino Americans (JFAV )
Mang Peping Baclig and Arturo Garcia, coordinators
and
the JFAV Steering Commitee

July 20, 2008




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SAMPLE LETTER

( Congressman's Address)
Congreswoman Nancy Pelosi
District Office
450 Golden Gate Ave.14th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102

Dear Ms. Speaker,

I am writing you on the matter of the pending Filipino World War II Equity Bill languishing before the House of Representatives for more than ( 18) eighteen years. For more than four times, in a span of two years, the Democratic Party have promised the Filipino American community that you wil pass this bill.

But until now, the House have not acted to discuss nor pass this urgent bill that matters to the Filipino-American community. The US Senate by voting 96-1 passed the Veterans Benefits Enchanment Bill 1315 last April 24, 2008 and we asked the House to do the same with urgency and dispatch.

Since February 18, 1946, when the US Congress passed the unjust Recission Act,for moe than 63 years-- the Filipino veterans were marginalized, discriminated and been treated like second class citizens of this country. Out of the more than 250,000 who served under the American flag, only 18,000 are still living.

As an example, in the county of Los Angeles where majority of the Filipino veterans resides, 126 members of the United Filipino American Veterans (UFAV) have died since October 2007. Only 54 members are still living, more than 12 of them seriously sick.

Are you so cruel that you are just waiting for all of them to die and then grant them their benefits later? If you like to, you can grant them the benefits for it will only cost you a half-a-day cost of the war in Iraq that cost US Congress billions of dollars.

We ask your office and all the members of the House of Representatives to act now and PASS THE EQUITY BILL, NOW!

Sincerely yours,

(Name /or name of your organization)

Date__________