Office of the P.A.'s Site

Dec. 20, 2007 - Since July 2007, the pending equity bills in the US Senate and House of Representatives have had no further progress after their approval at VA Committee levels. This is largely because, according to reports from Cong. Filner's legislative aides, some Republican Senators and Congressmen have voiced strong opposition and maneuvered delays in their deliberation, debate and voting by the full plenaries of both Houses.
Sen. Akaka has postponed further action on the equity bills to Feb. or March of 2008 as a result. He believes that the opposing Republicans will either be out of Committee level and replaced by then, leaving better opportunities for the equity bills to be approved at last, after 62 years. We continue to pray for favorable developments.

Dec. 9, 2007 - we discovered that the venue for a southern Metro Manila office (to be opened in 2008) in Veterans Center, Taguig City to service and assist veterans and widows on their claims for benefits had been broken into, robbed and ransacked.

Dec. 8, 2007 - at the VFP-SDAI National Assembly, a resolution declaring the position of National Chairman was passed, thus sidelining former Cong. Ed Pilapil. PA Adevoso however had announced in his morning speech before the afternoon voting on the Resolution that Chairman Pilapil had resigned his position.
It is believed by many that this move on the part of the current leadership of the VFP and VFP-SDAI (which is motivated by the desire to wax control over other veterans economic and business institutions) would give rise to greater organizational strength and expansion of membership in the other descendants' organizations such as the WWII Heritage Organization Inc. and the Angkan, which are free from any ties with any veterans organization, in much the same way the Daughters of the American revolution (DAR) in the USA has remained free of limiting alliances, and thus is able to do its job of preserving the legacies of American civil war veterans and their descendants.
On December 27-29, as national government/O.P. overseer of all veterans and descendants organizations, I will be in Cebu and Bohol to see if other descendants organizations have not just personal interests in mind but rather loftier motives and advocacies and the sincere intention of preserving and protecting veterans' legacies to the country.

Dec. 6, 2007 - I have been receiving calls and text messages asking me my personal opinion on the recent Manila Pen incident and on the raging debates on media's role in covering such potentially violent events. Even if my position is a non-political one, I feel I have to respond since I dont want it said by anyone that an official in the government (and in Malacanang and the Office of the President at that) was too timid to share his views with constituents. I am therefore posting certain email responses which I made to the veterans' and my Ateneo schoolmates' networks or email loops, and this will hopefully give the reader/s an insight into my thoughts on the subjects.

I will be flying to Naga City on Dec. 10 to attend and speak before the audience at the inauguration of the Phil. Veterans Bank World War II Exhibit at the Ateneo de Naga. I look forward to seeing Fr. Joel Tabora SJ again. He was a younger contemporary during my Ateneo school days and now heads the Ateneo de Naga.
On the 8th of December, I will attend the VFP-SDAI National Assembly.
On the 14th of December, I will speak before the VFP NCR regional assembly to be held at Camp Aguinaldo, together with Mayor Sonny Belmonte and Usec. Ernesto Carolina

Dec. 3, 2007 - I received a phone call from Commander Maning Braga of San Diego, California this morning. Braga is close to Cong. Bob Filner, prime proponent of the equity Bill in the US House of Representatives, where he acts as Chairman of the VA Committee. Commander B told me not to worry about the seeming inaction of both houses of the US Congress on the pending equity bills, on the safe assumption that since these bills have already been approved by the VA Committees of both Houses, there will have to be debate and votation on them even if these will take place in the next Congress next year 2008. However, Cmdr. B still believes that debate and voting will still take place before Dec. 2007 is over. Let us see what happens, and we continue praying to the Good Lord to favorably answer our FilVets' petitions to Him.

Agnes Dacono of Davao GKFS came to the OPAVA this morning together with a Fil-Am lady writer-author from the USA who is interested in writing a book on Filipino veterans. Agnes told me the descendants' GKFS event in Region 11 is now scheduled for January 20, 2008.

Dec. 2, 2007 - I went to and spoke before a Sta. Cruz, Laguna assembly of descendants from the 16 towns of the 3rd district of that province. They asked both about local Philippine vet benefits for their parents as well as the equity bills in the USA.