Pinoy war vets in US want VA chief to quit

WASHINGTON – The American Coalition for Filipino Veterans has called on US Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson to resign for allegedly mismanaging his department and opposing full equity for Filipino World War II veterans.

The Washington-based advocacy group decided by unanimous vote to call for Nicholson to step down during a nationwide teleconference on the anniversary of the historic battle of Corregidor in Bataan on May 6, said ACFV executive director Eric Lachica.

The ACFV stated its demand in a letter to the VA on Monday.

Nicholson has been at the center of a storm over the awarding of more than $3.8 million in bonuses to senior VA officials in 2006 at a time of serious budget shortfall, a backlog of disability cases and a staffing shortage in his department.

The ACFV is campaigning for full recognition of Filipino veterans for their US military service in WWII and their entitlement to the same pensions their American counterparts receive. 

There are still about 20,000 surviving veterans – 13,000 of them live in the Philippines and the rest are in the United States.