Office of the P.A.'s Site

1. April 5-11 is Veterans Week. The veterans are one of the few sectors of Philippine society honored by the Philippine government with its own national holiday - the Araw ng Kagitingan on April 9. Veterans week 2008 and April in general were full of work for the office of Asec. Adevoso:
a) April 6 - the two private Fil-Am lobby groups Asec. Adevoso met and strategized with in the USA in February 2008 returned to Washington DC lobbying work for the equity bills. This work was scheduled to last until April 11 USA time.
b) on April 9, Araw ng Kagitingan was commemorated at Mt. Samat, Bataan, and as the photos show, it was a well-attended affair (see also video clip of this event). Asec Adevcoso proceeded directly to Baguio, Benguet right after the Bataan event
c) on April 10, Asec. Adevoso attended the Liberation Day rites at Sablan, Benguet, and thereafter conducted a microfinance seminar for descendants of war veterans of the USAFIP-NL(see video clip of this event).
d) on April 13, Asec. Adevoso attended the Hunters ROTC - his home unit - annual reunion held at the La Consolacion College grounds in Binan, Laguna (see video clip)
e) on April 23, the US Senate voted down by 94-0 a hindrance to the approval of the equity bill in the form of Sen. Larry Craig's motion to terminate all debate and vote on any equity bill for Filipino veterans. on April 25, the same US Senate voted 56-41 against a proposal by Sen. Burr to exclude Filipino WW2 vets in the Philippines from any benefits under the proposed equity bill; immediately after this vote, the US Senators voted 96-1 to approve their version of the Equity Bill. Over sixty years of lobbying by the Philippine government, veterans and many concerned parties seems to be bearing fruit. Only the House vote and the US President's signature now stand in the way to full approval of the equity bill by the US Government. This will terminate the Rescission Act of 1946 and restore dignity and honor to all Filipino WW2 veterans, whether alive or not.
It was PGMA who, in 2002, revived the then-practically-dead equity campaign in the USA during a visit to the US. Thereafter, she appointed Jerry F. Adevoso to the position of Head, Office of Veterans Affairs, Philippine Embassy, Washington DC to rev up the equity campaign once again. This was done during Jerry's stint from 2002-2004, when he engaged in another educational, support-soliciting and informational campaign among US legislators and Fil-Am communities all over the USA on the ill effects of the Rescission Act on Filipino WW2 veterans who had been recruited by US military authorities and President F.D. Roosevelt into the US war effort against Japan as early as 1939.
f) on April 25-27, I attended an assembly of WWII Heritage Organization Inc. members in Tagbilaran, Bohol and conducted for them a microfinance seminar so as to enable them to participate relevantly in the national government program for entrepreneurship (see also video clips)
g) on May 20, Asec. A went to Vigan, Ilocos Sur to participate in the inauguration of the Phil. Veterans Bank Roving WW2 Exhibit there
g) on May 23-25, Asec. J. Adevoso was invited to be guest resource speaker during the microfinance seminar conducted under the auspices of the WW2 Heritage Organization of Region 5. The seminar was held in Legazpi City, at the Provincial Capitol Building, with the cooperation of Albay Gov. Joey Salceda. Region 5 Microfinance Volunteer Coordinator Angelo Honrado (son of a WW2 veteran) hAndled the entire event well.
h) In early June, Asec. Adevoso decided to seek to implement 3 major programs for the benefit of WW2 veterans' descendants all the way to the end of the Arroyo administration in 2010:

a) the microfinance lending program for small entrepreneurs, which was started in May 2007;
b) in cooperation with the TESDA and the WWII Heritage Organization Inc., a skills training scholarship program in various short courses aimed at immediate job-generation for unemployed veterans' descendants;
c) in cooperation with the Philforest Corp. of the DENR, a program for veterans' descendants to utilize and develop and earn a livelihood from certain idle agricultural and other raw lands under the ownership and management of Philforest.
These 3 major programs for descendants will be continued and intensified over the coming months.

i) On June 19, 2008, I arranged a consultative meeting on the equity issue in the US Congress between Sen. Richard Gordon and the Executive Board of the Veterans Federation of the Philippines. Sen. Gordon assured the veterans that he would continue to push strongly for the approval of the equity bill during his forthcoming trip to the USA.
From June 20 to July 1, 2008, during her official working visit to the USA, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo batted strongly and forcefully with American legislators for the approval of the equity bill. Her lobbying for equity was one of the highlights of her entire visit. With the Senate's approval of the same bill, only the approval of the House of Representatives stood in the way, but it was widely expected that a House vote schedule would come soon in the month of July 2008.

j) on June 18, 2008 in celebration of the 48th anniversary of the founding of the Veterans Federation of the Philippines, Asec. Adevoso attended the dinner celebration of the VFP held at the Veterans Center, Taguig.

k) From June 24-25, 2008, Asec. Adevoso attended and spoke before veterans who attended the inauguration of the Phil. Veterans Bank Roving WWII Exhibit in Tuguegarao, Cagayan. He updated the veterans on the progress of the equity bill deliberations in the USA and the descendants on the 3 livelihood programs earmarked for their benefit. In Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya while on the drive back to Manila, he met with HERO leaders on the livelihood programs for descendants.