Post by legionnaire on Nov 27, 2006 3:09:55 GMT -5
WEEKEND BALITA
Tableau to mark war outbreak, Bataan defense, Dec 9 Saturday
LOS ANGELES—The Filipino Veterans Foundation and The Veterans Center Association will mark the 65th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in the Philippines with a tableau re-enactment of the Defense of Bataan on Dec. 9. The event will start with a program at 10 a.m. at the recently unveiled Valor (Kagitingan) Memorial, 227 N. Lake Street Park in Historic Filipinotown.
It will feature honor guards in their vintage uniforms consisting of brothers Teddy, Ray and Manny Ortega, John Kanaster and Philip Garcia.
Invited to speak during the occasion are Rep. Bob Filner, Rep. Xavier Becerra, Governor Arnold Scwarzenegger, Assemblyman Jerome Horton, Chairman Mike Antonovich of the County Board of Supervisors, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Councilman Eric Garcetti. Reception immediately follows at the Community Hall.
It may be recalled that the treacherous bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese planes on a Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941 (2:25 am, Dec. 8, Manila time) drew the United States into the frenzy of World War II. Despite warnings that the Philippines was next in Japan’s bombing run, American airplanes were mowed like sitting ducks and rendered inutile some nine hours later. Thus, the joint Philippine-American fighters subsequently confronted the invading Imperial forces with a decisive handicap from the start: lack of naval and air support.
Cut off from Mother America and largely forgotten, the defenders—starving, physically battered, and ill equipped—held their ground and later moved to the jungles of Bataan and Fortress Corregidor until about four months later when they were finally overridden by the overwhelming hordes of enemies. The surrender came a long time after defenders in other Asian countries had capitulated, thus giving the United States much needed time to scramble its war machine.
The Filipino Veterans Foundation, also known as Erasto R. Batongmalaque Foundation, has provided advocacy and assistance for veterans in the past four years, connecting them to a veterans’ service officer of the County of Los Angeles and the Regional Veterans Administration. It has ongoing outreach programs to register WW2 veterans residing in Southern California and assist them in claims for benefits with the US Veterans Administration.
According to Dr. Jenny L. Batongmalaque, FVF co-founder and executive director, one such benefits provides for health care and disability occasioned by the passage of the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 granting full compensation and DIC to members of the New Philippine Scouts if the individual resides in the United States as a citizen or a permanent resident. Members of the Commonwealth Army, Usaffee, and regular recognized guerillas have been qualified since 2001 if they had service-connected disabilities, it was learned.
Until recently, the Foundation had been housed at the Bob Hall Patriotic Hall on Figueroa St. where veterans gathered every Thursday afternoon not only for socialization but to provide as well an opportunity for them to be heard and be abreast with developments in the veteran front. FVF offices has since shifted temporarily to the nearby DPSS Building of the County of Los Angeles, 2615 S. Grand Ave., while the 80-year-old building is undergoing renovation, Doctor Jenny may be contacted at e-mail drjennyb@erbfoundation.org.
(DIONESIO C. GRAVA)
www.balita.com/xshell.php?id=1226
Tableau to mark war outbreak, Bataan defense, Dec 9 Saturday
LOS ANGELES—The Filipino Veterans Foundation and The Veterans Center Association will mark the 65th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II in the Philippines with a tableau re-enactment of the Defense of Bataan on Dec. 9. The event will start with a program at 10 a.m. at the recently unveiled Valor (Kagitingan) Memorial, 227 N. Lake Street Park in Historic Filipinotown.
It will feature honor guards in their vintage uniforms consisting of brothers Teddy, Ray and Manny Ortega, John Kanaster and Philip Garcia.
Invited to speak during the occasion are Rep. Bob Filner, Rep. Xavier Becerra, Governor Arnold Scwarzenegger, Assemblyman Jerome Horton, Chairman Mike Antonovich of the County Board of Supervisors, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Councilman Eric Garcetti. Reception immediately follows at the Community Hall.
It may be recalled that the treacherous bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese planes on a Sunday morning, Dec. 7, 1941 (2:25 am, Dec. 8, Manila time) drew the United States into the frenzy of World War II. Despite warnings that the Philippines was next in Japan’s bombing run, American airplanes were mowed like sitting ducks and rendered inutile some nine hours later. Thus, the joint Philippine-American fighters subsequently confronted the invading Imperial forces with a decisive handicap from the start: lack of naval and air support.
Cut off from Mother America and largely forgotten, the defenders—starving, physically battered, and ill equipped—held their ground and later moved to the jungles of Bataan and Fortress Corregidor until about four months later when they were finally overridden by the overwhelming hordes of enemies. The surrender came a long time after defenders in other Asian countries had capitulated, thus giving the United States much needed time to scramble its war machine.
The Filipino Veterans Foundation, also known as Erasto R. Batongmalaque Foundation, has provided advocacy and assistance for veterans in the past four years, connecting them to a veterans’ service officer of the County of Los Angeles and the Regional Veterans Administration. It has ongoing outreach programs to register WW2 veterans residing in Southern California and assist them in claims for benefits with the US Veterans Administration.
According to Dr. Jenny L. Batongmalaque, FVF co-founder and executive director, one such benefits provides for health care and disability occasioned by the passage of the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 granting full compensation and DIC to members of the New Philippine Scouts if the individual resides in the United States as a citizen or a permanent resident. Members of the Commonwealth Army, Usaffee, and regular recognized guerillas have been qualified since 2001 if they had service-connected disabilities, it was learned.
Until recently, the Foundation had been housed at the Bob Hall Patriotic Hall on Figueroa St. where veterans gathered every Thursday afternoon not only for socialization but to provide as well an opportunity for them to be heard and be abreast with developments in the veteran front. FVF offices has since shifted temporarily to the nearby DPSS Building of the County of Los Angeles, 2615 S. Grand Ave., while the 80-year-old building is undergoing renovation, Doctor Jenny may be contacted at e-mail drjennyb@erbfoundation.org.
(DIONESIO C. GRAVA)
www.balita.com/xshell.php?id=1226