[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 86 (Thursday, June 30, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 30, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              FAIRNESS FOR FILIPINO WORLD WAR II VETERANS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Filner] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, today, Congressman Lane Evans and I are 
introducing a bill to restore fairness to the Filipino War veterans who 
served in World War II.
  Early this month, we commemorated the bravery of our fighting men in 
Europe on the 50th anniversary of the D-day invasion. At this juncture, 
it seems equally fitting to recall the contributions of the thousands 
of Filipino veterans who fought side-by-side with forces from the 
United States mainland against a common enemy.
  It is hard to believe that soon after the war ended--the war in which 
Filipino soldiers served and died defending the American flag in the 
epic battles of Bataan and Corregidor and through 4 years of enemy 
occupation--the 79th Congress in 1946 voted in a way that can only be 
considered to be a blatant discrimination against the Filipino 
veterans.
  In the words of the Washington Post of June 17, 1947:

       While the Philippine Islands were still under United States 
     sovereignty, the President issued an order making the 
     Filipino Army a part of the American Army. This made the 
     Filipino soldiers who constituted that army a part of our 
     fighting forces as much as were soldiers drafted from the 
     states, and they remained in this status until the eve of 
     the Philippine independence. Last year, however, Congress 
     passed the First Rescission Act denying to Filipino 
     Veterans most of the benefits that go automatically to 
     other veterans who were exposed to similar risks and 
     hardships. We cannot help thinking that if Congress 
     reviews the situation, with full realization that these 
     men were members of our own army and subject to its 
     orders, it will see that a grave injustice has been done.

  This review is long overdue.
  My bill, the Filipino Veteran Equity Act of 1994, would credit 
service in the organized military forces of the Government of the 
Philippines and the Philippine Scouts to have been active service for 
purposes of benefits under programs administered by the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs.
  President Harry S. Truman, who signed the Rescission Act, criticized 
it in the following words:

       The passage and approval of this legislation does not 
     release the United States from its moral obligation to 
     provide for the heroic Filipino Veterans who have sacrificed 
     so much for the common cause during the war. The Philippine 
     Army veterans * * * fought under the American flag and under 
     the direction of our military leaders. I consider it a moral 
     obligation of the United States to look after the welfare of 
     the Filipino Veterans.

  In 15 years, none of these veterans will be left alive. Many, until 
their dying day, were kept wondering and asking, ``Do we deserve the 
1946 Rescission Act? Haven't we suffered the same suffering as the 
American soldier fighting the same war? Do bullets and mortar shells 
ask if their target is an American or Filipino soldier?''
  I urge my colleagues to join with me in correcting this injustice. We 
must recognize the contribution of the World War II Filipino veterans.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. FILNER. I yield to the gentlewoman from Colorado.
  Mrs. SCHROEDER. Mr. Speaker, I really want to congratulate the 
gentleman from California for bringing this forward. It has always 
struck me that all of our veterans fought for the same flag and as a 
Nation who has stood for diversity and stood for inclusiveness and all 
of that, I have just been amazed and horrified that so many are 
forgotten.

                              {time}  1030

  And I really thank you for bringing that to all of our attention. We 
all wish you well and hope we can correct that injustice. And as we go 
into the Fourth of July break, it is a good thing to remind people of.
  Mr. FILNER. I thank the gentlewoman. The gentlewoman helps fight 
injustice in all sectors of society, and I thank you for joining me in 
this.

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