18,155 WWII vets to benefit from equity bill in US Congress

The number of Filipino World War II veterans who stand to benefit from a pending bills at the US Congress has dwindled to 18, 155, Philippine Ambassador to the US Willy Gaa has reported to the American legislature. In letters to US Senator Daniel Akaka, chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs committee; Sen. Daniel Inouye, sponsor of the Senate version of the equity bill; Rep. Bob Filner, chair of the House veterans’ affairs committee and sponsor of the House version of the equity bill, and members of the veterans’ affairs committees of both the Senate and House, Gaa said the prospective beneficiaries of the pending bills in the US Congress would be those in the US Army roster. “As expected, the current number in the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) list is different from the US Army roster," Gaa said in the letter dated June 5. However, all surviving veterans in the US Army roster are also included in the PVAO list as of May 10, 2007, he clarified. The PVAO list of WWII veterans total 33, 571. Also known as S. 57, the equity bill seeks to grant ageing Filipinos who fought under the American flag during WWII with at least $7,329 worth of benefits, which regular US veterans are currently receiving. These benefits include veterans’ health care, service-connected disability compensation, non-service connected disability compensation, dependent indemnity compensations, death pension and full burial benefits. “Officially conveying the accurate count of surviving Filipino World War II veterans who would be entitled to these benefits will give all our efforts to pass the equity bill a major boost," Ambassador Gaa said. “By formally submitting a more accurate number, the US Congress as well as the US Veterans Administration will have a much clearer idea of the resources and other administrative requirements that are involved in the equity bill," he added. With the more accurate number, there will no longer be any speculations and estimates that tend to confuse the issue, the ambassador pointed out. He said General Delfin Lorenzana, head of the Embassy's Veterans Affairs Office personally took up the task of going through the records and working with the concerned officials back in the Philippines to come up with this accurate number. The data was taken primarily from two sources, namely the PVAO that maintains the list of surviving WWII veterans, and the roster of Filipino WWII veterans in the possession of the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) Regional Office in Manila. The DVA roster is the same as the US Army Roster of Filipino WWII veterans stored at the US Army Archives in St. Louis, Missouri state. “The US Army roster, which was compiled after the end of World War II, listed 260,143 Filipino WWII veterans. Out of this number only 18,155 survive. This is the number that has been requested by the members and staff of the US Congress. These veterans are also included in the larger list maintained by the PVAO. After the US Army left in 1948 with its list of Filipino WWII veterans, the Armed Forces of the Philippines continued to list late registrants into its list," Ambassador Gaa reported. Once the equity bill is passed, the Philippine Embassy would request the US government to include WWII veterans who are not in the US Army list subject to the legal screening procedure. "We remain committed to seeing the passage of the equity bill into law. Together with our friends in Congress, and working hand-in-hand with the veterans themselves and the various veterans’ organizations and the Filipino-American community, we will vigorously pursue this bill and help ensure that our veterans receive the recognition and the benefits that they truly deserve." Ambassador Gaa said. Eric Lachica, executive director of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, Inc., said the list was crucial for the June 27 “mark up" meeting of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to determine the final equity benefits budget. ACFV has been intensely lobbying for the swift approval of the equity bill in the US Congress. It has been asking the veterans and their families to e-mail the undecided senators to support the measure and to express gratitude to the 13 current sponsors, namely: Sen. Daniel Akaka Sen. Barbara Boxer Sen Sherrod Brown Sen. Maria Cantwell Sen. Benjamin Cardin Sen. Hillary Clinton Sen. Dianne Feinstein Sen. Robert Menendez Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski Sen. Patty Murray Sen. Harry Reid Sen. Charles Schumer Sen Ted Stevens, chairman of the appropriations committee. Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Undersecretary for Benefits Ronald R. Aument said if Filipino veterans, especially those living in the Philippines, were to receive the same benefits which American veterans get, they will acquire enormous purchasing power since prices of goods in the Philippines is way cheaper than in the U.S. mainland. “While we’re grateful for the military service and the sacrifices these Filipino veterans made during World War II, the VA does not support enactment of this bill because it will disproportionately favor Filipino veterans over U.S. veterans," Aument told the U.S. Senate’s committee on veterans affairs hearing in April. As of 2003, the average annual family income in the Philippines was P135,000 ($2,864). In contrast, the maximum annual rate for a U.S. veteran with one dependent is equivalent to P685,000 ($14,313). “Thus, Filipino veterans and their survivors receiving full-rate VA pensions while living in the Philippines would enjoy a much higher standard of living relative to the general population in the Philippines," Aument said. - GMANews.TV