Ohio Filipino American running for US Congress

CHICAGO, Illinois – A Filipino American running for US Congress may yet save the day for the Filipino Veterans bill pending before the US Congress. Ohio State Senator Stephen C. Austria is running for US Congress under the Republican Party for the open seat of the 7th District in Ohio. He will be in the best position to lobby at least 39 US Republican members of the House of Representatives into voting for passage of Senate Bill 1315 in the House. Part of the bill grants full benefits for non-service disability pensions to Filipino World War II veterans. His father, the late Dr. Clement G. Austria, was a “guerrilla under (American) Gen. Douglas MacArthur while studying medicine at the University of Santo Tomas," that was turned into prison camp by Japanese Invading Forces during World War II. In an email to this reporter, Austria’s wife, Eileen, quoted her mother-in law, Jean Brockman Austria, as saying that her father-in-law was born in Tiaong, Quezon in the Philippines. When he was still very young, Steve went to the Philippines three times in 1960 and 1961 and spent six weeks in the Philippines shortly after graduating from high school. Steve’s folk wanted him to stay for good in the Philippines but his mother prevailed upon him to come back to the United States. Armin M. Sayson, President, Philippine-American Society of Greater Dayton (Ohio), provided this reporter a brief bio-data of Steve Austria given to him by Steve’s wife, Eileen. Eileen Austria said Stephen Clement Austria was born in 1958 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His parents are Jean Brockman Austria of Cincinnati and the late Dr. Clement G. Austria who was born in the Philippines and came to Cincinnati, Ohio to attend Medical School. “Jean was a nurse and he was a doctor and that is how they met," Sayson said. Steve is the eldest of nine children - all of whom have graduated from Catholic universities or colleges with their bachelor's degrees and several graduating from medical, dental or optometry schools. Steve graduated from Marquette University in 1981 with a degree in Political Science. Marquette is a Catholic, Jesuit university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After graduation, Steve worked in politics for a couple of years before turning his professional interests in becoming a Financial Planner with the American Express Company for nearly 16 years. When public service called, Steve successfully ran for state representative in Ohio in 1998, moving up to the Ohio Senate in 2000 and being re-elected again in 2004. The family of Dr. Clement Austria was named one of the top 10 families of the year in the nation and was honored at the Reagan White House in 1985. Dr. Austria was a community leader and died unexpectedly at the age of 62 in November 1986. Senator Steve Austria currently represents Ohio's 10th Senate District, which includes approximately 375,000 people and covers all of Clark, Greene, and Madison Counties. Steve and his wife, Eileen, have three sons, Brian, Kevin and Eric. Brad Mascho, Campaign Manager for Steve Austria for U.S. Congress said Senator Steve Austria is currently the Majority Whip of the Ohio Senate. He is seeking election to the U.S. House of Representatives of Ohio’s 7th Congressional District, currently held by Congressman Dave Hobson, who announced his retirement late last year and has strongly endorsed Senator Austria’s election. According to the Los Angeles, California-based Asian Journal, African American Congressman Robert C. “Bobby" Scott (D-VA-03) is the only member of the U.S. House of Representatives to claim Filipino parentage. His mother is a daughter of a Filipino, Valentin Cortez Hamlin.- GMANews.TV