Discrimination and racist laws from the US Congress
Dear Editor,
We write you this letter in light of some new developments in the US Senate last week.
In a final act of insult, your newspaper reported the sad news that the US Senate marked up the Heller Bill, recycled it to be called Sanders’ Bill or the Improved Filipino Veterans Health benefits Bill, two days before the USAFFE Day on July 26.
This so called improved bill will “reconsider” giving benefits to 4,000 Filipino veterans, who filed their appeals disregarding the Schatz Bill or the Senate version of the Filipino Fairness Act of 2013. By this act they disregarded the 20,000 denied claims of Filipinos veterans and again excluded the 60,000 widows of departed Filipino Veterans.
Maybe in a consummated act of compromise, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, adopted or recycled the Heller bill and called it a “health improvements bill.”
But all it does is to legalize a process that will expedite the claims of 4,000 veterans, who appealed their claims with the DVA.
What a shame, what a shame, what a shame!
Thus, with the Sanders Bill in the US Congress for the third time, perpetrated for the remaining 41,000 Filipino veterans and 60,000 widows, it is another racist and discriminative fiat — much like the highly-anticipated punitive immigration law that wishes to punish the 11 million immigrants of this nation by giving them long years of wait for their legalization.
As if the US Congress is saying that we cannot get any kind of justice or equity from this legislative constitution they call “the chapel of democracy,” for racist and bigots laws and lawmakers alike.
Rescinded/discriminated three times
For the first time on February 18, 1946, they rescinded this recognition by law, calling their “military service as inactive for the purposed of benefits and rights’ in a racist act of discrimination.
More than 500,000 Filipinos under the US force, as guerillas of independent units for 4 years (1942-1945) and under the Philippine Republic, fought the liberation of the Philippines until the nation was finally liberated from Japan on September 6, 1945 after more than two years of a war for national liberation.
However, the United States only recognized 250,000 guerillas and Filipino forces under the US Army as World War II veterans.
And yet, they were all discriminated against and disenfranchised under the 67-year Rescission Act of 1946 from the 79th US Congress. Until now, this law has not been repealed.
This is why we lobbied the US Congress for more than 20 years to repeal this law. This has been a subject of our longest running litigation for more than 60 years.
But again on October 2008, they passed the second rescission act by deleting the provision for SB 1315 — the equity provision for Filipinos or the New GI Bill of Rights of 2008 and gave Filipinos a lump sum instead.
They legalized this by inserting the lump sum provision in the Stimulus Act or the ARRA Law of 2009.
That is why JFAV opposed this lump sum and are still lobbying at the US Congress with the latest Schatz Bill in the US Senate and the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act 0f 2013 in the Lower House.
So today we raise our voices, not to celebrate or commemorate USAFFE Day, but to gather our strength to fight these evils of racism and discrimination we suffered at the hands of the legislative branch of this government that masquerades for equality.
On July 26, 1941 by an Executive Order by US President Franklin Roosevelt, the Army of the Commonwealth of the Philippines was placed under the command of the United States Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), six months before WWII erupted.
Is it coincidence that the US Senate passed the mark up of the Sanders Bill on July 24, two days before the 72nd anniversary of USAFFE?
In the face of institutionalized racism and discrimination to our veterans and widows, let us gather our strength and we must FIGHT ON!
We made this promise to our departed and living heroes who started this struggle for equity and rights in 1993. We will fight for our community in the United States and our nation who were insulted and despised by these legislators who passed these racist laws.
To the last veterans and last widows, we will fight! And we will win!
For justice and equity,
Arturo P. Garcia
National Coordinator
Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV)
