Blas addresses Rotarians on war survivors lawsuit

GUAM—Senator Frank F. Blas Jr. addressed the Rotary Club of Northern Guam during their monthly meeting to discuss the plans to file a lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of Guam’s War Survivors.

Blas announced at the meeting that just last week the organization formally incorporated with the Department of Revenue and Taxation. The non-profit organization that will pursue the lawsuit is now officially called “The Guam World War II Reparations Advocates, Inc.”

“We’re losing members of our island’s greatest generation on an almost daily basis,” Blas said. “So instead of continuing to hope that the United States government will one day recognize the pain and suffering they endured during WWII, we have collectively decided to sue the federal government for the reparations that they truly deserve.”

The initial directors of the organization are Senator Frank F. Blas, Jr., Senator Tony Ada, Senator James V. Espaldon, former Governor Joseph Ada, former Speaker Joe T. San Agustin, Vice Speaker Benjamin Cruz, Senator Tina Muna Barnes, former Assistant Secretary Tony Babauta, and former U.S. Department of Justice Special Counsel Juan Carlos Benitez.

The attorneys that will represent the group in the impending suit are Washington, D.C.-based Attorneys Mauricio J. Tamargo, Jason Poblete, and Jeremy G. Ibrahim. The suit will be filed in Washington, D.C. and all court costs, attorney’s fees and all other related expenses will be privately funded.

Attorney Tamargo, Vice Speaker Cruz, and the late Speaker Antonio R. Unpingco were members of the 2003 Guam War Claims Review Commission. During that same time, Tamargo also was the chairman of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States.

For more information please contact the Office of Senator Frank F. Blas, Jr. at 475-2527. (PR)