[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 6, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INTRODUCING THE FILIPINO VETERANS FAIRNESS ACT

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                    HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 6, 2003

  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
Filipino Veterans Fairness Act in commemoration of Corregidor Day, and 
all the Filipino veterans who fought against the Japanese Imperial 
Forces in defense of America.
  Sixty-one years ago today, in the island fortress of Corregidor, 
Philippines, approximately 15,000 American and Filipino troops fought 
the four-months long resistance against the Japanese forces.
  In the early days of World War II, these Filipinos fought alongside 
Americans as they were battered by constant shellfire and aerial 
bombardment.
  Corregidor Day evokes memories of how these valiant soldiers 
disrupted the Japanese conquest of the South Pacific, allowing valuable 
time for the United States to recover from Japan's initial onslaught.
  After the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, they also attacked and 
defeated Hong Kong and Singapore, our allies in the war. The one bright 
spot in those dark days was in the Philippine Islands where Americans 
and Filipinos made a stand in Bataan, Corregidor and the southern 
islands of the Philippines.
  At the conclusion of World War II, there were more than 400,000 
Filipino veterans. Only 50,000 Filipino veterans are living today and 
approximately 13,000 of them reside in the United States.
  I pay tribute to these magnificent Filipino soldiers, loyal and 
dedicated to the war effort, who distinguished themselves in the four 
months of combat. With their fiber helmets and canvas shoes, they were 
armed with little more than personal courage. These valiant men deserve 
no less than recognition of their military service and fairness under 
the law.
  Proper recognition and honor of the military service of these 
Filipino veterans is long overdue. I ask my colleagues to remember 
Corregidor and to support the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act. My bill 
mirrors Senator Daniel Inouye's S. 68 and also guarantees Filipino 
veterans' representation in the Center for Minority Veterans, and 
ensures they receive the same social benefits like education, housing 
loans, vocational rehabilitation and job counseling as available to the 
American soldiers with whom they fought side by side in Corregidor.

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