Whatever
Happened To...
An update on past news
Design problems have
delayed Filipino-American
memorialQuestion: What ever happened to the proposed Filipino-American veterans memorial?
Answer: Design delays have pushed back completion of a $50,000 memorial for Filipino-American veterans of World War II to late December from the original target of Veterans Day.
Workers won't even break ground on the memorial until next week at the earliest, said Lito Alcantara, of Group Builders, who is donating the materials and workmanship needed for the monument.
"It's hard to make changes when we start construction," he said. "We don't want to rush."
The 6-foot-tall monument will sit near the front steps of the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu and pay tribute to two World War II Filipino-American infantries, a Filipino-American battalion and Filipino-American women who were members of the Lady's Auxiliary.
Alcantara had told the center's board in early October that he would have his employees work seven days a week and 15 hours a day to get the memorial finished by last Tuesday.
But Oscar Paez Jr., the monument's architect, who has served on the community center's building committee for four years, said a lag in receiving the logos that will appear on the monument has pushed back the memorial's start and completion dates.
The insignias will represent a number of Filipino-American veterans groups, he said.
The veterans who proposed the monument's construction had hoped to list the names of all the Filipino-American combatants who had survived World War II. But listing the names would have exceed the memorial's $50,000 budget, Paez said.
When completed, the monument's 10-foot-wide concrete structure will include a granite plaque facing Waipahu Street, said Alcantara, who is also on the center's board of directors.
Paez said the memorial's overall design includes two pillars -- symbolizing America and the Philippines -- connected by a rainbow.
This update was written by Mary Vorsino.
Ever wonder what happened to a person, event or issue that has been in the news? We'll find out for you if you e-mail us at cityeditors@starbulletin.com, call us at 529-4747 or write 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana, Honolulu, HI 96813. "What Ever Happened to ..." runs Saturdays.
