US Congress OKs benefits for Pinoy World War II veterans

CHICAGO – Friday the 13th turned out to be a charm for Filipino World War II veterans when their benefits survived in the House of Representatives, which passed the $787-billion stimulus bill by a 246-183 votes dominated by the Democrats. When the House-Senate Conference Committee report of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was tossed back to the Senate for a final floor vote, it was stalled as the Senate was short of three votes to get the 60 votes needed to pass it for signature of President Barack Obama Monday. One of those last to vote had to buy time to allow Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown to fly back from Ohio, where his mother died earlier in the week. His was the decisive 60th vote for the bill against 38 votes. "We did it," exclaimed Ben Guzman of the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity, in a mass e-mail. "The Senate has just passed Filipino WWII Veterans legislation! I'm humbled and blessed to be able to work on this." Jerry Clarito, a son of a veteran living in Chicago, Illinois, said, "This moment is the result of our community’s partnership with our champions on Capitol Hill and the White House." Clarito, NAFVE Steering Committee member with the Illinois Veterans Equity Center, added: "President Obama’s support for this is well documented, and we are grateful to the White House for its role in this historic achievement." Left intact in the 496-page conference report submitted by House Committee Appropriations Chairman David R. Obey (Dem.-Wisconsin), of the conference committee, was the eight-page “Administrative Provision, Sec. 1002. Payments to Eligible Persons Who served in the United States Armed Forces in the Far East During World War II" that provides a tax-free $15,000 for each of the Filipino veterans who are United States citizens and $9,000 for each of non-US citizens, mostly living in the Philippines. "I will not believe it until I know that President Barack Obama signs the bill into law," said Pat Ganio, president of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, Inc. living in Jacksonville, Florida, when reached by this reporter for comment. "Alam kong nasa economic crisis ang Amerika. Pero matagal na kaming nasa economic crisis mula pa noong panahon ng giyera. Siguro naman dapat lang ay matanggap na namin ito. [I know America is in economic crisis. But we have been in economic crisis for 63 years since the war. We hope we can finally get this benefits that we richly deserve]," Ganio, who will turn 88 on March 17, said. Ganio, a native of Rizal, Nueva Ecija, was among those who fought and surrendered at the Fall of Corregidor on May 6, 1942. "I also thank Sen. Daniel K. Inouye (Dem.-Hawaii) for finally helping put the Filipino veterans bill over the top," said, Ganio, originally with the Philippine Air Force and later joined the guerilla led by Col. Robert B. Laphan of the Central Luzon Guerilla Army Forces. Like Ganio, Jose V. Juachon, 90, of Chicago, Illinois and belonging to the M. Company, 3rd Batallion, 1st Infantry Regiment, also thanked the US senators and congressmen for passing the Filipino Veterans Bill. "Matagal na naming ito nilalakad. Sa Pilipinas pa, pero hindi naniwala sa amin ang mga tao. Kaya kinopronta ko sina Senator [Dick] Durbin at [then, State Sen. Barack] Obama dito sa Chicago at bakit hindi pa maipasa-pasa ang Filipino veterans benefits bill na ito. [We’ve been following up this Filipino veterans bill. From the Philippines, but nobody believed us. So I confronted Sen. Durbin and Sen. Obama here in Chicago and asked them why they could not pass the Filipino veterans bill]," Juachon said. "Pero ngayon magpapasalamat na kami sa kanila lalong lalo na kay Presidente Obama [Now, we will be very thankful to them, especially President Obama]," Juachon, a native of Gapan, Nueva Ecija, and a Bataan Death March survivor, said. Filipino-American Vietnam veteran R. Sonny S. Sampayan of the US Air Force said in an e-mail: "The surviving WWII Veterans residing in New York, led by Commander Pacifico Timbol, are thankful to all the lawmakers who supported the passage of the WWII Filipino Veterans Equity Bill. "They are elated that their service in the US Armed Forces is now recognized and restored by the United States of America. The 63-year wait in restoring their status as Veterans of the US Armed Forces is long overdue. "Commander Timbol is also happy that their comrades in the Philippines are also recognized. It is every veteran's hope that the provisions of this bill will be implemented once President Obama signs the stimulus package on President's Day." Retired Maj. Delfin N. Lorenzana, head of the Veterans’s Affairs at the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC, on the eve of the vote Thursday (Feb. 12), in an email to the Filipino American community, said: "I am pleased to announce a wonderful breaking news from the Capitol Hill. "The Filipino WW2 veterans benefits in the final version of the Stimulus Package as approved by the Senate-House conference Committee last night (Feb 12). The House will vote on it today (Feb 13) and the Senate tomorrow (Feb 14). Once again we expect a heated debate before the Package is voted on. We are one step before President Obama signs it into law which come as early as Monday, Presidents Day. While this is cause for great rejoicing the Senate and House votes are still major obstacles to be hurdled." The Filipino veterans benefits will be sourced from the $198 million appropriated by H.R. 2638, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 passed by both chambers last Sept. 24, 2008. It is part of a continuing resolution to provide $1-trillion appropriations for fiscal year 2009 for all programs not yet funded under regulation appropriations acts, as well as funding for three fiscal year 2009 appropriations bills: the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriation Bill. The inclusion of the Filipino Veterans benefits in the stimulus bill is an authorization for the release of the $198-M. The benefits will be available to the Filipino veterans by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs "during a one-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act." The bill also provides that if a claimant dies, his or her surviving espouse can collect the claim. "We are especially grateful to Senator Inouye for his steadfast leadership in seeing this bill through. He, along with Majority Leader Harry Reid, really helped shepherd this bill through the Senate," Jon Melegrito, NAFVE co-chair, said. "Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka has always been a champion for us on this issue and we express our profound gratitude to him as well." "Speaker Pelosi’s support was critical in moving this in the House," said Faustino "Peping" Baclig, a Filipino WWII veteran with the Filipino American Service Group in Los Angeles, California. "We thank her, as well as Rep. Mike Honda and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, as well as Rep. Xavier Becerra for keeping this issue alive. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner’s support for this issue has also helped bring us to this day." Baclig will celebrate his birthday in a very special way on Valentine’s Day thanks to the history he has helped make today. - GMANews.TV