Legislature calls for Filipino vets to get their due

OLYMPIA – During World War II, 200,000 to 300,000 Filipinos volunteered or were drafted to serve in the U.S. military, but were later denied veterans status and are still ineligible to receive U.S. veteran’s benefits.

Today, the state Senate passed a joint memorial with the House to petition the president and Congress of the United States to give those Filipino veterans full U.S. veteran status with military benefits.

“It’s important for us to honor our country’s moral commitment to veterans by providing them with the military benefits that they deserve” said Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Kitsap County, who co-sponsored Senate Joint Memorial 8008.

During World War II the Philippines was a U.S. territory, and Filipino soldiers fought and died alongside American soldiers during the war. After the war, the Philippines gained its independence, and its veterans were excluded from U.S. veteran status. Today, there are about 8,000 of these veterans living in the United States, and 100 in Washington.

In addition to asking that the surviving Filipino veterans be provided with benefits, the memorial also petitions the president and Congress to give priority in the issuance of immigrant visas to their descendants. The veterans themselves were granted U.S. citizenship, but their children were not; many of these veterans immigrated to the United States, unable to bring their families with them.

The measure passed with the unanimous approval of all present.

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