{"id":20709,"date":"2023-11-19T19:52:12","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T05:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/?p=20709"},"modified":"2023-11-19T19:52:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T05:52:13","slug":"lets-commemorate-veterans-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thefilipinochronicle.com\/backup\/2023\/11\/19\/lets-commemorate-veterans-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Commemorate Veteran\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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by Dr. Arcelita Imasa<\/em>

Whatever happened to the thousands of brave Filipinos who answered the call to fight with the U.S. military in World War II when the Philippines was an American commonwealth? Did they ever get paid or get an opportunity for citizenship?<\/em>\u00a0
\u2013\u00a0Reader

Dear Reader,\u00a0

As citizens of an American commonwealth, Filipino soldiers were legally American nationals, and President Roosevelt promised them the same veterans\u2019 benefits given to members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Filipino forces fought bravely as Japanese forces occupied the country and U.S. troops escaped the Philippines to Australia.

But Roosevelt\u2019s promise was not kept. In 1946, the U.S. Congress passed the Rescission Act, which retroactively annulled the benefits promised to veterans and their widows and children because of concerns over its projected price tag of upwards of $3 billion.

\u201cThe priority after World War II was in Europe, and the government made a determination they would instead pay $200 million to the Filipino government, which would disperse the money,\u201d says Antonio Taguba, a retired U.S. Army major general and chairman of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project, which is working for due recognition and benefits to Filipino World War II veterans and their widows.

For more than seven decades later, Filipino veterans were still waiting for the U.S. government to fulfill that obligation. While members of the \u201cOld\u201d Philippine Scouts were eligible to receive full benefits, that has not been the case with members of the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines, Recognized Guerrilla Forces, and New Philippine Scouts.

The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided for one-time, lump-sum payments of $15,000 to surviving Filipino veterans who were American citizens and $9,000 to non-citizens. As of January 1, 2019, more than 18,000 claims had been approved by the U.S. government, but nearly 24,000 had been denied, in part because of requirements.

To receive compensation, veterans must be on a list of 260,715 Filipino guerrilla fighters compiled by the federal government immediately after the war as well as the so-called \u201cMissouri List\u201d which is incomplete because of a 1973 fire that destroyed millions of military records, including those of many Filipinos who served during World War II.

Fortunately, free legal help is available through the University of Hawaii Manoa Legal Clinic.

Are you a veteran with or whose family has immigration issues? Did your Filipino WWII Veteran family member start a petition, but they died before completing the process?

Don\u2019t give up your pursuit of justice without first talking to attorney Danicole Ramos at 808-956-0535.

As we celebrate Veterans\u2019 Day and remember those who served us, we lift those brave Filipino WWII Veterans. Justice for Filipino WWII Vets and their families!

Sincerely,
Hawaii Workers Center

Get the latest stories from Hawaii Filipino Chronicle straight to your inbox! Subscribe to\u00a0<\/em>our FREE newsletter here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>

DR. ARCELITA IMASA\u00a0<\/strong>is a practicing family physician and the secretary of the Hawaii Workers Center\u2019s Executive Committee of the Board. She grew up in the Philippines before migrating to Hawaii with her family more than a decade ago.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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