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E-mailA Californian senator who belongs to the Democratic party revealed yesterday that only 29 percent of Filipino World War II (WWII) veterans have received their lump sum payment from last year's United States (US) stimulus package.
According to Yee, of the 39,000 claim applications, only 11,000 were granted by the US government.
Thus, California Eighth District Senator Leland Yee “introduced Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 25 to call on President Barack Obama, Congress, and the US Department of Military Affairs to expedite the funding and lessen the amount of required documentation for eligible Filipino and Filipino American veterans to receive payments under the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund,” a press release from Yee's website said.
The lump sum payment, as provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, amounts to USD15,000 (P684,000) for Filipino veterans residing in the US and USD9,000 (P410,760) for non-US resident Filipino veterans.
“It is heartbreaking that even the inadequate lump sum payment approved by Congress is not getting to those in need. These soldiers deserved full recognition; the least our federal government can do is expedite this small token of appreciation,” Yee explained in a statement.
The ARRA, popularly known as the “stimulus package,” provides federal funding for social welfare and unemployment benefits in light of the ongoing global recession.
With the lump sum payment for Filipino WWII veterans who fought alongside US troops to thwart the Japanese invasion, the 1946 Rescission Act was practically lifted. The said act had previously stripped Filipino veterans of federal financial benefits.
In 2008, Yee authored the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2008 (House Resolution 6897) but it has not been passed into law.
As of 2009, CNN reported that there are an estimated 15,000 Filipino veterans residing in the US. In the Philippines, there are 49,620 living veterans, according to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office. An estimated 250,000 Filipinos were said to have fought in WWII.
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