Event Recognizes Role of WWII’s Filipino Veterans

World War II veteran Teofilo Eborda was ecstatic in December when he stood in line at a clinic in downtown Los Angeles to file for healthcare benefits that Filipino American veterans living in this country had finally been granted. But it took him months to receive his benefits card.

Eborda, who helped to store ammunition in the Philippines during the war, said he got frustrated with the delay and went to Long Beach to again register for the benefits he and other Filipino veterans had sought for decades. “That was faster,” he said Sunday.

Such delays have been common, said Jenny L. Batongmalaque, who organized a gala Sunday to celebrate recognition by the U.S. government of the veterans’ role in the war and to push for better service. “The application process takes too long,” said Batongmalaque, the executive director of the Filipino Veterans Foundation, a Los Angeles group that pushes for health and social services.

“Many are financially disadvantaged, can’t cope with their illnesses, or are at risk for homelessness.”

There are others who still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and need relief as soon as possible, she said.

It is common for Filipino American veterans to wait eight to 18 months to qualify for healthcare benefits because the Department of Veterans Affairs needs more people to dig through old war records, translate Tagolog and help the elderly veterans through the application process, she said.

Her group wants Veterans Affairs to hire more people or help defray some of the foundation’s costs for record searches and translation services.

Batongmalaque said she hoped Sunday’s celebration would boost the spirits of the Filipino veterans, especially since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill three weeks ago that would have encouraged schools to teach about the Filipinos’ role in World War II.

“That’s sad,” Batongmalaque said.

“People really need to know what happened to these guys. They’re still languishing.”

An estimated 200,000 Filipinos fought with the U.S. military during World War II.

Through the years, Congress has extended some benefits to them. In 1990, it granted citizenship to those living in the United States.

But until this month, only one small group -- the “old scouts” who had been full-fledged members of U.S. Army units -- had received full military benefits.

Legislation signed by President Bush in December extended burial and medical benefits to Filipino veterans living in the United States, but they did not grant them pensions. Nor did the laws make Filipinos living abroad eligible for any benefits.

The foundation, along with other groups such as the Washington, D.C.-based American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, has continued to push for full benefits for all who fought for the U.S. in the Philippines.

Jaime Carreon, who built roadblocks for the U.S. military in the Philippines, said the celebration Sunday was bittersweet, because many veterans are still bogged down in completing the paperwork to qualify for the benefits.

But, he added, “in part I am happy.”