[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 83 (Thursday, June 14, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6322-S6323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. INOUYE:
  S. 1042. A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to improve 
benefits for Filipino veterans of World War II, and for other purposes; 
to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Filipino Veterans' 
Benefits Improvement Act of 2001. This bill provides our country the 
opportunity to right a wrong committed decades ago, by providing 
Philippine-born veterans of World War II who served in the United 
States Armed Forces their hard-earned, due compensation.
  Our Nation is now at peace, and our prosperity has reached levels 
never before seen by any Nation in history. We are on the top of the 
world in terms of economic power and military might, and much of this 
unprecedented success is due to the tremendous sacrifices made by our 
fighting forces during World War II. We trampled tyranny in Europe and 
in the Pacific, and when we raised our flag proudly over hostile lands, 
we were greeted enthusiastically by the millions we liberated from the 
grasp of terrible aggression.
  I take this opportunity today to remind everyone of an injustice that 
persists as a blemish on one of history's greatest success stories.
  The Philippines became a United States possession in 1898, when it 
was ceded from Spain following the Spanish-American War. In 1934, the 
Congress enacted the Philippine Independence Act, Public Law 73-127, 
which provided a 10-year time frame for the independence of the 
Philippines. Between 1934 and final independence in 1946, the United 
States retained certain powers over the Philippines, including the 
right to call all military forces organized by the newly-formed 
Commonwealth government into the service of the United States Armed 
Forces.
  On July 26, 1941, President Roosevelt issued an Executive Order 
calling members of the Philippine Commonwealth Army into the service of 
the United States Armed Forces of the Far East. Under this order, 
Filipinos were entitled to full veterans' benefits. More than 100,000 
Filipinos volunteered for the Philippine Commonwealth Army and fought 
alongside the United States Armed Forces.
  The United States Armed Forces of the Far East fought to reclaim 
control of the entire Western Pacific. Filipinos, under the command of 
General Douglas MacArthur, fought in the front lines of the Battle of 
Corregidor and at Bataan. They served in Okinawa, on occupied mainland 
Japan, and in Guam. They were part of what became known as the Bataan 
Death March, and were held and tortured as prisoners of war. Through 
these hardships, the men of the Philippine Commonwealth Army remained 
loyal to the United States during the Japanese occupation of the 
Philippines, and the valiant guerilla war they waged against the 
Japanese helped to delay the Japanese advance across the Pacific.
  Despite all of their sacrifices, on February 18, 1946, Congress 
betrayed these veterans by enacting the Rescission Act of 1946 and 
declaring the service performed by the Philippine Commonwealth Army 
veterans as not ``active service,'' thus denying many benefits to which 
these veterans were entitled.
  Then, shortly after Japan's surrender, Congress enacted the Armed 
Forces Voluntary Recruitment Act of 1945 for the purpose of sending 
American troops to occupy enemy lands, and to oversee military 
installations at various overseas locations. A provision included in 
the Recruitment Act called for the enlistment of Philippine citizens to 
constitute a new body of Philippine Scouts. The New Scouts were 
authorized to receive pay and allowances for services performed 
throughout the Western Pacific. Although hostilities had ceased, 
wartime service of the New Philippine Scouts continued as a matter of 
law until the end of 1946.
  On May 27, 1946, the Congress enacted the Second Supplemental Surplus 
Appropriation Rescission Act, which included a provision to limit 
veterans' benefits to Filipinos. This provision duplicated the language 
that had eliminated veterans' benefits under the First Rescission Act, 
and placed similar restrictions on veterans of the New Philippine 
Scouts. Thus, the Filipino veterans that fought in the service of the 
United States during World War II have been precluded from receiving 
most veterans' benefits that had been available to them before 1946, 
and that are available to all other veterans of our armed forces 
regardless of race, national origin, or citizenship status.

[[Page S6323]]

  The Congress tried to rectify the wrong committed against the 
Filipino veterans of World War II by amending the Nationality Act of 
1940 to grant the veterans the privilege of becoming United States 
citizens for having served in the United States Armed Forces of the Far 
East.

  The law expired at the end of 1946, but not before the United States 
had withdrawn its sole naturalization examiner from the Philippines for 
a nine-month period. This effectively denied Filipino veterans the 
opportunity to become citizens during this nine-month window. Forty-
five years later, under the Immigration Act of 1990, certain Filipino 
veterans who served during World War II became eligible for United 
States citizenship. Between November, 1990, and February, 1995, 
approximately 24,000 veterans took advantage of this opportunity and 
became United States citizens.
  For many years, Filipino veterans of World War II, who are now in 
their twilight years, have sought to correct the injustice caused by 
the Rescission Acts by seeking equal treatment of their valiant 
military service in our Armed Forces. They stood up to the same 
aggression that American-born soldiers did, and many Filipinos 
sacrificed their lives in the war for democracy and liberty.
  Heroes should never be forgotten or ignored, so let us not turn our 
backs on those who sacrificed so much. Many of the Filipinos who have 
fought so hard for us have been honored with American citizenship, but 
let us now work to repay all of these brave men for their sacrifices by 
providing them the full veterans' benefits they have earned.
                                 ______