U.S. SENATE OKAYS FILIPINO VETS’ BILL

May 1, 2008  --  Got something to say?
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vets-gaa-v-sign.jpgRescission Act is reversed; House sets vote on counterpart bill
By Jose Katigbak & Rodney J. Jaleco

WASHINGTON - The US Senate Thursday, April 24, voted to provide Filipino veterans monthly pensions for fighting for Uncle Sam in World War II, reversing a 62-year-old statute that had denied them GI benefits.

Please forgive us for being late,” said Democratic Sen. Daniel Inouye one of the primer movers of S1315 which seeks to give to about 12,000 veterans living in the Philippines a monthly pension of $300 for those who are single, $375 for those married and $200 for widows.

S1315 otherwise known as the “Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007” passed by a vote of 96-1. The lone holdout was Republican David Vitter of Lousiana.

The equity bill reverses the 1946 Rescission Act that deprived Filipino soldiers who fought under U.S. military command in World War II of veteran status. The soldiers were members of the U.S. Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) and Philippine Scouts, commanded by Gen. Douglas MacArthur. When they were drafted into service, the Philippines was still an American Commonwealth and they were thus, technically American citizens at the time. Of the dozens of foreign nationals who served under the US flag in World War II, only Filipinos were deprived of benefits.

Before the vote on S1315, an amendment was introduced by Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina to remove the benefits
for Filipinos and redirect those funds for additional assistance to US veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But the amendment was later defeated by a 56-41 vote. Burr said the US had made no promises of postwar benefits to
Filipinos who did not suffer any injuries in WWII adding it was foolish to “take money away from helping veterans of the war on terror and instead send the money overseas.”

“It’s not a matter of money, it’s a matter of honor,” Inouye countered.

“It’s the American thing to do. If they (the Filipinos) were willing to stand in harm’s way for us the least we can do is to
recognize this and to salute them as fellow Americans,” he said.

“The Filipinos harassed the Japanese and kept them occupied. The war in the Pacific would have ended later if not for them,” he added.

Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), said “I applaud the Senate for taking a step further to right this wrong. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to ensure we eliminate the disparities in benefits for Filipino veterans, and restore the honor and dignity they deserve. We’re a country of promise makers and we should also be a country of promise keepers.”

Philippine ambassador to Washington Willy Gaa said he was “very happy and delighted that justice has been served — at last.”

“This is indeed a momentous occasion and a historical moment, a vindication for our long-suffering veterans whose tremendous patience and fortitude has finally been duly rewarded,” he said in a statement.

But the envoy sought to temper his excitement by saying only half the battle has been won so far. The other half still has to be fought in the House though he is confident of success.

When he assumed his post in July 2006 the first thing Gaa did was to get the disparate Filipino groups who quarreled over tactics and strategy to get together and speak in one voice on the veterans issue.

“We want to make sure the community is really able to celebrate this victory,” said Ben de Guzman, executive director of Washington-based National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity (NAFVE).

The fight for Filipino veterans equity is perhaps the single biggest issue for Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in the U.S. It has united an otherwise fractious community, and spawned a grassroots movement that has demonstrated the growing clout of the Filipino American community in U.S. politics and policy-making.

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate veterans affairs committee, doggedly fought for the passage of the bill after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took the bold step to put S-1315 on the floor.
After the approval of the bill Akaka, in a statement, said “The Filipino veterans of World War II fought bravely under U.S. military command, helping us win the war only to lose their veteran status by an Act of Congress. I commend my colleagues for supporting those veterans who stood with us.” He urged his colleagues in the House “to act swiftly on this much needed bill.”

About 80 percent of S 1315 is devoted to expanded benefits to American veterans, especially those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. And Burr was only against giving a $300 special non-service disability pension to about 13,000 Filipino veterans living in the Philippines; veterans currently living in the U.S. were assured of getting the same pension as their American counterparts which range from $900 to $1,400 a month, depending on personal circumstances.

On April 22, the senators voted for cloture by a unanimous 94-0, precluding any possibility of a crippling filibuster that could have killed the bill on the floor. Because of Republican acquiescence to cloture, many believe a compromise was in the works – fueled in part by Senator Larry Craig’s proposal to extend benefits to Filipino veterans here and in the Philippines, but with the lower amount of $100.

Perhaps an indication of Filipino clout, both Democratic presidential contenders – Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama broke off from their respective campaigns to attend Wednesday night’s session, anticipating a vote on S-1315.

Despite her heavy schedule, Sen. Clinton again spent the morning on Capitol Hill and left right after casting her vote for S-1315. The Democrats voted as a block except Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana. That was more than offset by seven Republicans who crossed party lines to vote for the bill. They are Senators Ted Stevens, Richard Lugar, Allan Specter, Chuck Hagel, Lisa Murkowski, George Voinovich and John Warner.

“History is on the side of our veterans,” declared Philippine Ambassador Willy Gaa. “More importantly, Filipinos here in America and in the Philippines stood united behind our veterans, and that sent a powerful message to the U.S. senators that whole Filipino nation was squarely standing behind our veterans,” the country’s chief envoy declared.

Marites “Bing” Branigin, an editor of the Virginia-based Manila Mail, could barely hold back her tears while speaking with ABS-CBN’s Balitang America.
“When we started in 1998, I saw so many veterans running around there, allowing themselves to be arrested and handcuffed outside the White House. But last night and today, there were only four of them. But they never relented. To our veterans in the Philippines, this victory is for you,” Branigin said, tears streaming in an emotional recollection of the long years of sacrifices and struggle by aging veterans, most of whom are now in their 80s and 90s.
“It’s a great day for us, for our veterans and the Filipino people. After 60 years we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel in our fight to win back the rights of our veterans,” declared retired Lt. Gen. Delfin Lorenzana, the country’s special envoy for veterans affairs
Thus, veterans activists see the campaign for veterans equity as a race against time. “We have to persuade Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi and the House of Representatives to schedule a vote under the leadership of Chairman Filner (Congressman Bob Filner of California, who chairs the House veterans affairs committee,” said Eric Lachica, executive director of the American Coalition of Filipino Veterans.
HR-760, counterpart of S-1315 in the Lower House, has been put on hold to wait for the Senate to pass its version. HR-760 provides more generous benefits to Filipino veterans but Filner told visiting Filipino congressmen two weeks ago that he was open to the idea of adopting S-1315 if this would speed up passage of the bill.
“We have to this right away, hopefully by May 6 or 7. That would be perfect because that would be the anniversary of the Fall of Corregidor,” he explained.
Adopting the Senate version will mean less work when the two versions are combined in conference committee. There are fears that if the House presses for a higher amount, the White House might balk and President Bush might use his veto powers.

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