[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 63 (Tuesday, May 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E849-E850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CALIFORNIA RESOLUTION TO HONOR WORLD WAR II VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 4, 1999

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to place into the Congressional 
Record a Resolution from the California State Assembly, Assembly Joint 
Resolution No. 15 relative to Filipino World War II veterans:

       Whereas, The Philippine Islands, as a result of the 
     Spanish-American War, were a possession of the United States 
     between 1898 and 1946; and
       Whereas, In 1934, the Philippine Independence Act (P.L. 73-
     127) set a 10-year timetable for the eventual independence of 
     the Philippines and in the interim established a government 
     of the Commonwealth of the Philippines with certain powers 
     over its own internal affairs; and
       Whereas, The granting of full independence ultimately was 
     delayed for two years until 1946 because of the Japanese 
     occupation of the islands from 1942 to 1945; and
       Whereas, Between 1934 and the final independence of the 
     Philippine Islands in 1946, the United States retained 
     certain sovereign powers over the Philippines, including the 
     right, upon order of the President of the United States, to 
     call into the service of the United States Armed Forces all 
     military forces organized by the Commonwealth government; and
       Whereas, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, by Executive 
     order of July 26, 1941, brought the Philippine Commonwealth 
     Army into the service of the United States Armed Forces of 
     the Far East under the command of Lieutenant General Douglas 
     MacArthur; and
       Whereas, Under the Executive Order of July 26, 1941, 
     Filipinos were entitled to full veterans benefits; and
       Whereas, Approximately 200,000 Filipino soldiers, driven by 
     a sense of honor and dignity, battled under the United States 
     Command after 1941 to preserve our liberty; and
       Whereas, There are four groups of Filipino nationals who 
     are entitled to all or some of the benefits to which United 
     States veterans are entitled. These are:
       (1) Filipinos who served in the regular components of the 
     United States Armed Forces.
       (2) Regular Philippine Scouts, called ``Old Scouts,'' who 
     enlisted in Filipino-manned units of the United States Army 
     prior to October 6, 1945. Prior to World War II, these troops 
     assisted in the maintenance of domestic order in the 
     Philippines and served as a combat-ready force to defend the 
     islands against foreign invasion, and during the war, they 
     participated in the defense and retaking of the islands from 
     Japanese occupation.
       (3) Special Philippine Scouts, called ``New Scouts,'' who 
     enlisted in the United States Armed Forces between October 6, 
     1945, and June 30, 1947, primarily to perform occupation duty 
     in the Pacific following World War II.
       (4) Members of the Philippine Commonwealth Army who on July 
     26, 1941, were called into the service of the United States 
     Armed Forces. This group includes organized querrilla 
     resistance units that were recognized by the United States 
     Army; and
       Whereas, The first two groups, Filipinos who served in the 
     regular components of the Unites States Armed Forces and Old 
     Scouts, are considered United States veterans and are 
     generally entitled to the full range of United States 
     veterans benefits; and
       Whereas, The other two groups, New Scouts and members of 
     the Philippine Commonwealth Army, are eligible for certain 
     veterans benefits, some of which are lower than full veterans 
     benefits; and
       Whereas, United States veterans medical benefits for the 
     four groups of Filipino veterans vary depending upon whether 
     the person resides in the United States or the Philippines; 
     and
       Whereas, The eligibility of Old Scouts for benefits based 
     on military service in the United States Armed Forces has 
     long been established; and
       Whereas, The federal Department of Veterans Affairs 
     operates a comprehensive program of veterans benefits in the 
     present government of the Republic of the Philippines, 
     including the operation of a federal Department of Veterans 
     Affairs office in Manila; and
       Whereas, The federal Department of Veterans Affairs does 
     not operate a program of this type in any other country; and
       Whereas, The program in the Philippines evolved because the 
     Philippine Islands were a United States possession during the 
     period 1898-1946, and many Filipinos have served in the 
     United States Armed Forces, and because the preindependence 
     Philippine Commonwealth Army was called into the service of 
     the United States Armed Forces During World War II (1941-
     1945); and
       Whereas, Our nation has failed to meet the promises made to 
     those Filipino soldiers who fought as American soldiers 
     during World War II; and
       Whereas, The Congress passed legislation in 1946 limiting 
     and precluding Filipino veterans that fought in the service 
     of the United States during World War II from receiving most 
     veterans benefits that were available to them before 1946; 
     and
       Whereas, Many Filipino veterans have been unfairly treated 
     by the classification of their service as not being service 
     rendered in the United States Armed Forces for purposes of 
     benefits from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs; and
       Whereas, All other nationals who served in the United 
     States Armed Forces have been recognized and granted full 
     rights and benefits, but the Filipinos, as American nationals 
     at the time of service, were and still are denied recognition 
     and singled out for exclusion, and this treatment is unfair 
     and discriminatory; and
       Whereas, On October 20, 1996, President Clinton issued a 
     proclamation honoring the nearly 100,000 Filipino veterans of 
     World War II, soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army, 
     who fought as a component of the United States Armed Forces 
     alongside allied forces for four long years to defend and 
     reclaim the Philippine Islands, and thousands more who joined 
     the United States Armed Forces after the war; Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved by the Assembly and the Senate of the State of 
     California, jointly, That the Legislature of the State of 
     California respectfully

[[Page E850]]

     memorializes the President and the Congress of the United 
     States during the First Session of the 106th Congress to take 
     action necessary to honor our country's moral obligation to 
     provide these Filipino veterans with the military benefits 
     that they deserve, including, but not limited to, holding 
     related hearings, and acting favorably on legislation 
     pertaining to granting full veterans benefits to Filipino 
     veterans of the United States Armed Forces; and be it further
       Resolved, That the Clerk of the Assembly transmit a copy of 
     this resolution to the President and the Vice President of 
     the United States, to the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives, and to each Senator and Representative from 
     California in the Congress of the United States.

     

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