US urged to help Pinoy World War II vets before it’s too late

WASHINGTON — A few hours’ worth of the money spent by the United States daily in Iraq would pay the annual benefits of Filipino World War II veterans and settle an emotional RP-US controversy that has been lingering over the past 60 years, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) said.

Renewing an appeal to the US Congress to pass a Veterans Equity bill to put the Filipinos on par with their GI counterparts and recognize their wartime services to the United States, CAPAC members said it was time to settle this issue now because the veterans are in their 70s and 80s and have little time to live.

"We spend $1 billion in Iraq every three days. If we have a few hours of that money for Filipino veterans, we can certainly handle it. This is within the budgetary ability of the nation," said Democratic congressman Bob Filner of California.

The Filipino Veterans Equity bill (HR 302) seeks a maximum $800 monthly pension, the same amount low-income US veterans receive, for old warriors living in the Philippines at a cost to Uncle Sam of about $160 million annually.  

"The year 2006 has got to be the year this happens," declared Rep. Michael Honda, chairman of CAPAC.

"Time is of the essence. Denying Filipino veterans full recognition as American veterans is an act of discrimination. This must be rectified," said Honda, a California Democrat.

Although called to serve in the military at a time when the Philippines was still a territory of the United States, Filipino WWII fighters were stripped of their recognition as US veterans for purposes of VA benefits under the 1946 Rescission Act.

About 18,000 WWII veterans live in the Philippines while some 8,000 live in the United States, most of whom receive the same benefits as their American counterparts.

Vellie Dietrich Hall, a daughter of a Filipino veteran and a commissioner on the White House Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders told CAPAC members at a forum in Capitol Hill on Wednesday that "the veterans deserve full equity and I will do everything I can to achieve this goal."

The National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), represented by Capitol Region Chair Marites Cardenas Branigin, vowed to mobilize NaFFAA’s affiliates in a renewed push to win full equity next year.

"This historical wrong must be rectified," said Romeo Monteyro, who served both in the US Navy and the Philippine Army. "These unsung heroes must have justice. They believe in American justice, that’s why hope springs eternal in their broken hearts," he said.

There are several bills in the US Congress seeking varying pensions and benefits for Filipino veterans including one suggested by Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, better known as the Filipino Veterans Benefits Improvement Act, which seeks a $100 monthly pension for individual veterans residing in the Philippines.

But due to time constraints supporters appear to be coalescing on an "all or nothing" strategy for the veterans.