Plight of Filipino Vets Studied

Advocates for Filipino World War II veterans released a study Tuesday emphasizing the frailty and economic plight of many who live in the U.S., hoping it will pressure the federal government to grant them veterans benefits.

Filipino vets say time is of the essence in their campaign for benefits equal to those of the U.S. soldiers they fought alongside. They are dying 57% faster than their American counterparts.

About 200,000 Filipino soldiers fought in World War II, many believing the U.S. would grant them full benefits. But the 1946 Recision Act, which their supporters now seek to revoke, prevented all but a handful of Filipinos from receiving them.

Tuesday’s study, done by the Filipino-American Service Group, surveyed 400 Filipino veterans who live in California, or about 5% of the 8,000 Filipino veterans living in the state.

It said 73% are between 70 and 79 years old, 50% report chronic blood pressure or hypertension, and 75% suffer from loneliness. The average monthly income is $698. The study did not offer a comparison with the U.S. veteran population, and the Department of Veterans Affairs could not provide comparative figures Tuesday.

“The average income is horrifying and shocking,” said Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg (D-Los Angeles), a supporter of the vets who attended a news conference on the study. “You can rent a nice garage for that amount in L.A.”

Al Garcia of the Justice for Filipino American Veterans Campaign said the study “shows there is a problem of health and a problem of empowerment.”

The study was commissioned by the California Endowment and the California Wellness Foundation, said Susan E. Maquindang, executive director of the Filipino-American Service Group.

“We’ve been thrown in jail [for protesting] and we’ve held rallies,” she said. “This study is our last hope to get equal benefits for our veterans. We’re asking the government to be fair and just.”

To qualify for U.S. veterans’ benefits, Filipino soldiers have to be designated “service connected”--meaning they were either wounded in battle or served with the Old Philippine Scouts, a unit created prior to the start of the war.

According to Department of Veterans Affairs documents, only 950 of the 14,000 Filipino World War II vets still alive in the United States receive benefits. Of the 46,000 World War II vets living in the Philippines, 4,000 receive benefits.

“It’s more painful to think of your ally turning their back on you than to think of the hardships of war,” said Faustino “Peping” Baclig of Whittier, a veteran who survived the Bataan Death March.

The study recommends more outreach programs to educate the vets about their health, more low-income housing, cultural and linguistic training for social services organizations and full VA benefits.

The study says about 13% of Filipino veterans will die within the next year; that’s 57% higher than the 8% rate among U.S. veterans. Five Filipino vets die each day in the U.S., advocates say.

Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, said mounting a legal campaign to garner equal benefits would be nearly impossible because the vets would not live long enough to see a resolution.