Office of the P.A.'s Site

On Feb. 18, 1946, the US Congress passed into law the Rescission Act which removed from the overwhelming majority of Filipino World War II veterans any and all US government official recognition as war veterans and eligibility for US veterans benefits from the US government. This, after 4 strenuous, painful years of sacrifice and fighting by our Filipino veterans against the Japanese invader under the American flag.

It should be remembered that in 1941 when WWII broke out, the Philippines was a colony and possession of the USA. When the war broke out, all our fellow Filipinos living at that time were born as American nationals. Our WWII veterans were recuited (as American nationals) into the US Military effort by American military authorities. In 1945, when WWII ended, our Filipino soldiers and guerillas who fought the Japanese invaders automatically became American war veterans, eligible for veterans benefits of the US government under US laws in force at that time, up to the present.

The 1946 Rescission Act was therefore a law that contradicted other American laws, and the cause of true justice and equality. It was undoubtedly an act of discrimination, since the US government gave US veterans benefits to ALL other veterans of its allied nations, singling out only Filipino veterans for removal from US government veterans rosters.

Although the US government action can be understood from the view point of hindsight - it was then spending billions of dollars to rehabilitate Japan and Europe and likely did not want to spend billions more on benefits for Filipino-(American national) veterans - the Rescission Act (which continues to be in force today, 63 years later) nevertheless stands as a monument to the inequity, discrimination, and even possible racism that America has been criticized for through the centuries, by many other nations.

That Harsh but truthful comment notwithstanding, Filipino post-war governments have been engaged in a 63-year effort to seek equity for Filipino war veterans, whose original numbers of 400 thousand are today reduced by mortality and other reasons to about 15,000 as of the time of this writing.

From the time of President Roxas to the current President Gloria M. Arroyo, the Philippine campaign for an equity bill from the US Congress (aimed at overturning and rendering moot the 1946 Rescission Act) has been in place, and has been one of the most fervent issues that Filipino war veterans seek restitution on.

It was only in 2002 that PGMA finally took the bull by the horns and moved decisively to secure new US Congressional lagislation to overturn the Rescission Act. Her efforts (and those of her officials) have paid off. In 2008, the US senate and the US House of Representatives approved different versions of an equity bill which could remove much of the stain and dishonor done by the US government to the dignity and true sacrifices of Filipino World war II veterans and of the Philippines as a nation.

By the end of the 110th Congress in November-December 2008, these bills were still being threshed out into one final version by sympathetic American legislators. Fortunately, a budget of US$198 million had already been set aside by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for any reconciled approved single and final equity bill. It is hoped that this effort, though it can never completely make up for all the years of injustice to our Filipino veterans, can be completed within the lifetime of the 110th US Congress.

Shown in this album are just some of the documents and suggestions/recommendations sent in by the Philippine government and this office to the Fil-Am lobby groups in the US as well as to the American legislators themselves. There are many government offices under PGMA which have lent their efforts and skills to the equity campaign, and the OPAVA-Office of the Asst Sec. for VA is just one of these.

It is hoped that this saga will soon see a successful conclusion.

2009, January to February

U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye (Hawaii), the venerable and wise US legislator who had always been at the forefront of the legislative battles in the US Congress to secure measures favoring Filipino WWII Veterans, decided to try another strategy in early 2009. It was learned by the OPAVA via e-mails from several Fil-Am lobby groups in the USA that instead of waiting for March or April 0f 2009 to re-start deliberations on the 2 equity bills in the US Congress Bi-Cameral Committee, he would seek to attach it as a rider to the Economic Stimulus Bill which was being very strongly pushed by the new American President Barack Obama in order to revive the falling US Economy.

Sen. Inouye knew this Stimulus bill would be given early attention and urgent top or first priority by the 111th US Congress in 2009, and since a budget for Filipino veterans had already been approved and was only awaiting a law that would authorize its release, he inserted it as Sec. 1002 in the Economic Stimulus Bill. Fending off some Republican Party opposition lead by the defeated Presidential candidate Sec. John McCain, Inouye succeeded in this effort and the Filvets insertion was retained in the final Law when President Obama signed it into law on February 17, 2009 (Feb. 18, 2009 in the Philippines), exactly 63 years after the Rescission Act was enacted.

With US$198 million now authorized for immediate release to surviving Filipino veterans in both the USA and the Philippines, the frenzied happiness began in the Philippines as veterans queued up at the US Embassy and at processing centers of the US Veterans Affairs Office (USVA) to file their claims for payments.

The payments, as explained to OPAVA by the office of Rep. Bob Filner, were computed as follows:
a) 6,000 expected surviving Fil WW2 vets in the USA/US citizens @ US$15,000 each or a total of US$90 million
b) 12,000 expected surviving Fil WW2 vets in the Philippines/Filipino citizens @ US$9,000 each or a total of US$108 million,
thus accounting for the total appropriated budget of US$198 million.

The words in Sec. 1002 of the Economic Stimulus Law describe these payments as made as "damages for human suffering" and thus are not considered to be part of the normal US veterans benefits program packages nor do they have any connection with the compensation sought in the equity bills approved in late 2008.

For an initial analysis of the US government's stimulus package for Fil Vets, see article below in photos entitled "equity-stimulus 22509 11 and 12"

As explained by the OPAVA to the public in TV talk shows and on radio and print, Sen. Inouye in his success, had:

- gained official recognition from the US government for Filipino veterans as American veterans, thus entitling them to further non-cash benefits normally available to American veterans under current US veterans benefits laws, rules and regulations
- gained a one-time, quit-claim, lump-sum cash payment to Fil Vets for their military service during WW2 under the American flag.

However, nothing in the Stimulus law could possibly rescind, amend or abolish the Rescission Act, which was an appropriation law. Thus, inconsistently, while the Stimulus Act recognized our Fil Vets as American Vets, the words of the Rescission Act declaring them as non-recognized and not eligible for US veterans benefits were still in full force and effect.

As of February 26, 2009, OPAVA and Fil-Am lobby groups in the USA were already in e-mail "huddles" planning out the next steps to take and which additional non-cash benefits to pursue in the US Congress for the Fil WW2 vets and members of their families, who had been severely ill-affected for 63 years whether economically, physically, emotionally, and in terms of self-esteem, pride, honor, dignity and justice.

OPAVA and the Fil-Am lobby groups will continue to work together for these additional US veterans benefits and other social legislation desired by, and long overdue to, the Filipino WW2 veterans.

Even as the euphoria and anticipation for the new US payments was still being experienced, the OPAVA was already busy telling one and all - both in the Philippines and in the USA - that the battle for full equity rights and justice for Filipino WW2 veterans was not yet over. The best evidence of this is Col. Emmanuel de Ocampo's statement during the Feb. 23, 2009 ceremonies at Malacanang at which he said that these newly-legislated U.S. payments to FilVets are "just a small step toward the full achievement of the dreams of Filipino WW2 veterans..."

Asec. Adevoso immediately sought additional benefits in the health care area. Meeting with VMMC Director A. Sison in late February 2009, OPAVA obtained an idea and listings of medical care and supplies most needed by the surviving Filipino WW2 veterans. These lists were immediately transmitted to the lobby groups in the USA for action, and they in turn started lobbying for these with the champions of our veterans in the US Congress - Senators Inouye and Akaka and Representative Filner. It is expected that additional humanitarian and sympathetic support from the US Congress are still possible in 2009-2010 for our veterans.

From the USA-based Fil-Am lobby groups themselves, several additional ideas for more benefits were received, among them:
a) the restoration of the SSi monthly pensions received by some Filipino WW2 veterans from the USA from 75% (for those residing in the Philippines) back to 100%;
b) some form of benefits for the widows of deceased Filipino WW2 veterans, who were unjustly and completely shut out from receiving payments provided under the Economic Stimulus Law of 2009
c) the revival of the Family Reunification Bill, to benefit naturalized US citizen Filipino war veterans allowed to enter and reside in the USA since the 1990s by allowing the members of their immediate families (who had been left behind in the Philippines) to join them in the USA.

It should be emphasized that all the above are merely proposals at this stage. It is important to note however that practically all parties involved in this struggle in both the USA and the Philippines over the last 6 decades believe that the fight is yet unfinished, and must go on until its natural and normal conclusion and as far as US legal parameters and activities will allow.