A federal measure pending in the US Congress will officially name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in American Samoa after the late former Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin, whose funeral service is set for later this week in Provo, Utah, where Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga will represent the territorial government.

Sponsored by Congresswoman Aumua Amata and the House of Representatives, the measure, which designates the local VA outpatient clinic as the “Faleomavaega Eni Fa’aua’a Hunkin VA Clinic,” was introduced Monday and referred to the US House Committee on Veterans Affairs, according to Congressional records.

Amata in a press release yesterday said the bill was passed through the House on Tuesday, and would now be sent to the Senate for consideration.

In honoring Faleomavaega’s legacy, Amata said, “Given that I challenged him for his seat from 1994 until 2014 — when I won my first term — Eni and I had a long and complicated relationship. Though we were often at odds politically, we always treated one another with the utmost respect and grace, allowing us to form a shared bond that I am very thankful for, and will never forget. 

“Ours was a true friendship that demonstrated that despite whatever political differences we may have, we can all come together for the good of those we serve. While we may have had our disagreements on national issues, we were very much in sync when it came to federal policy and funding for American Samoa,” the Congresswoman said during the floor time for the bill.

“I want to encourage my colleagues in the House and Senate to salute my predecessor by supporting this measure, so that we may honor this good man for his lifelong service and dedication to the people of American Samoa and to veterans everywhere,” Amata concluded prior to the passage of the bill through the House.

Faleomavaega passed away Feb. 22 at his home in Provo, and the governor, along with Amata, are among those from American Samoa, attending the final funeral service. Several local family members have left already for Provo.

The funeral announcement, published over the weekend by Provo-based Daily Herald newspaper states that memorial donations may be made to the Eni F. H. Faleomavaega Scholarship at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, which will benefit Pacific Island students. To give online, go to bit.ly/enischolarship, select BYU-Hawaii Scholarships, and in the ‘comments or instructions’ write the name of the scholarship.

According to the announcement, public viewing and family service is scheduled for Mar. 10 from 6p.m. to 9p.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Spanish Fork, Utah, which is also the location of the funeral service on Mar. 11, Saturday, set to begin at 11a.m following a public viewing at 9:30a.m. The interment will be at 1p.m at the Provo Cemetery in Provo.

Because many local residents wouldn’t be able to make it to Provo for the funeral service, Faleomavaega’s family held a prayer service last Thursday evening at the Gov. H. Rex Lee Auditorium, where among the six main speakers was Faleomavaega’s former long time chief of staff for the local District Office, Sen. Fai’ivae Iuli A. Godinet, who had worked closely with Faleomavaega for many of the 26-years the Congressman served as American Samoa’s Delegate. Fai’ivae was chosen to serve as Leone’s senator for four years by his village peers this year.

He noted that the Faleomavaega chiefly title is from his family in Leone. Fai’ivae says he was around 37 years old when Faleomavaega was first elected to Congress and he believes that the late Congressman was around 48 years old at the time.

The Leone senator said the people of American Samoa elected Faleomavaega to public office and it was also the people, who noticed that Faleomavaega was facing health issues when the election time came around in 2014.

And it was left up to the voters in 2014 to make the decision, which they did, he said pointing out that at the time following the election, he was thankful for the decision and wishes of the people that took notice of Faleomavaega’s declining health and made the decision for Faleomavaega to spend time with his family.

Fai’ivae never directly stated that Faleomavaega lost the 2014 election or was unseated in that election. However, he said Faleomavaega spent two years with his family before he was called home by the Heavenly Father.

Faleomavaega is a leader who is humble and always showed respect to others, the former chief of staff of the late congressman said. However, when he argued for American Samoa in Washington D.C. on any issue of importance for the benefit of the territory, Faleomavaega was no longer “humble”, he said.

Additionally, Faleomavaega never rested until his goals were achieved in making sure that the benefits on federal issues would come to American Samoa, he said and noted that Faleomavaega thought highly of the Samoan culture.

See Samoa News online over the weekend, Monday, as well as yesterday’s edition on coverage of the Prayer Service.