60 years late, U.S. to compensate WW II Filipino vets

When the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941, Jesus Riveria joined the resistance, driving an armored vehicle for the guerrillas. His job was to  protect Filipinos and keep the Japanese from advancing. He worked along side the Philippine Commonwealth Army, which President Franklin Roosevelt incorporated into the U.S. armed forces.

Lilia, 84, and Jesus Riveria, 86 of Vallejo attended a public forum hosted by Rep. George Miller. Jesus served in the Phillipines during WW II. / Audrey Wong

But when the war ended, Riveria and 200,000 other Filipino soldiers and fighters who had helped the United States defeat the Japanese were denied any veterans benefits or compensation. America was in a recession and the Congress wanted to spend money on Americans. So, the Recession Act of 1946 declared that the Filipinos’ combat didn’t count as U.S. military service.

Now, more than six decades later, Riveria and about 15,000 remaining Filipino veterans will finally receive small payments from the U.S. government for their invaluable military service. Congress included $198 million in the stimulus package that President Obama signed last month.

For Riveria, now 86, and his 84-year-old wife, Lilia, the restitution is a long-awaited dream. And the money can’t arrive soon enough.

"It’s a little late already. We’re already all sickly,” his 84-year-old wife, Lilia, said recently as they applied for the funds at a workshop in Vallejo. "We just want to see what amount we’re about to receive. We can’t wait any longer because we are sickly. … The money will be a great help for our health."

Under the World War II Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund,
the vets will receive one-time payments of between $9,000 and $15,000, depending on whether they are U.S. citizens or not. The lump sums are four years’ worth of veterans’ payments paid in advance.

The application deadline is Feb. 16, 2010. Learn more here.

The veterans’ claims will be verified and processed at the U.S. Veterans Affairs office in Manila. It’s not known how long it will take to issue checks. If an applicant dies, his widow will receive the payment.

But time is quickly running out. Every year 15 percent of these veterans die, said Eric Lachica, a son of a veteran and the volunteer coordinator for the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans Inc. The group estimates that as of February, 15,000 eligible veterans were alive.

Most of the vets who packed the Bayanihan Community Center in Vallejo March 18 were at least 80 and many had hearing problems. A large number arrived nearly two hours early with their families. VA staff helped about 50 veterans attend the workshop, sponsored by Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez).

Everyone had a war story.

Marcos Ipili, 92, of Antioch, once had to retreat from the Japanese and fled to the mountains. Another time a bomb exploded near him and damaged his hearing.

Orlando Rosete, 81, was a 17-year-old errand boy who dodged bullets as he ran through fields carrying messages.

"I was shot at many times, but I was able to duck and run," Rosete said. "You got to keep running."

When the war ended, President Harry Truman believed that the Filipino soldiers and guerrillas had helped the United States and should be compensated. But in the end, with the economy in a post-war downturn, he was compelled to sign the broader stimulus package.   

"Uncle Sam was trying to save money in 1946," Lachica said.

Compounding the issue, Lachica added, was that many in Washington believed that the newly independent Philippines should take care of its own veterans.

Eventually, the Filipino veterans persuaded the U.S. government to grant benefits such as medical services and burial, Lachica said. For years, however, they could not persuade Congress to compensate them for their service.

Lachica said it took veterans years to gain their benefits because many were immigrants and had to learn about the U.S. political process. Finally, they formed alliances and enlisted support from Miller and other lawmakers.

"They gave their service to our country," Miller said.

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