he Philippine Rescission Act of 1946 effectively cut-off Filipino World War II veterans from most of the benefits accorded American veterans. The law seemed to codify the ignoble sentiments of that era, so much so that even Harry Truman, the president who signed it into law, reminded Americans at the time: "the passage of this legislation [the Rescission Act] does not release the U.S. from its moral obligation to provide for the heroic Philippine veterans who sacrificed so much for the common cause during the war...They fought as American nationals, under the American Flag, and under the direction of our military leaders...I consider it a moral obligation of the U.S. to look after the welfare of the Philippine Army Veterans."

Today, with less than 30,000 Filipino WWII Veterans left (most of them in their 80's and 90's) the United States has the opportunity to right a 58-year-old wrong with the passage of the Filipino WWII Veterans Equity Act (HR 677). Majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) however, has steadfastly refused to bring the bill to the House Floor for a vote, instead keeping it languishing in the House's Veterans Subcommittee of Representative Chris Smith (R-New Jersey) where it could sit until all Filipino WWII Veterans are deceased.

Most Washington insiders will admit that White House support is essential to moving HR 677 to a floor vote and to getting it passed. However, when asked if President Bush supports the bill, Susan Ralston, a Filipina-American who holds the dubious distinction of being an executive assistant to controversial advisor Karl Rove, refused to acknowledge any specific commitment by the President other than saying that "He cares about your issues."

Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry, on the other hand has time and again reiterated his support for the passage of HR 677 stating that "many Filipinos fought bravely on behalf of the United States in that war." In his Memorial Day message, Kerry urged all to remember that Filipino soldiers "fought side-by-side with their American comrades and played a critical role in the Allied victory." He went on to emphasize the fact that "the time to formally recognize the contributions of these courageous soldiers is long overdue."

It is indeed ironic that while the bill's main sponsor Rep. Randy Cunningham, is a Republican from California, only a handful of his fellow Republicans (18 as of last count) support the legislation, compared to 185 Democrats, and one Independent who support it.

Given the above, the choice for many Filipino-Americans should be crystal clear this coming election. As a group, we need to make our voices heard by voting into office an administration that understands our concerns and can relate to our perspective on this issue.  

Black & White photos courtesy of US Military archives at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas

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