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Monday, March 19, 2007
WWII veterans forced to live apart from families
WAIANAE, Hawaii -- Manuel S. Pablo crouched in foxholes to defend the Philippines against invading Japanese soldiers in World War II. He watched a Japanese guard stab one of his comrades to death with a bayonet during the Bataan Death March when the starving prisoner of war dared to ask for another bowl of rice.
Even though Pablo risked his life for the United States, which controlled the Philippines as a commonwealth at the time, his children cannot win approval to live with him in America during his retirement.
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Scholars and veteran advocates say the policy reflects decades of neglect, dating to 1946 when Washington broke wartime promises that Filipino soldiers could become US citizens and enjoy the same pension and medical benefits as American troops.
It took Washington 45 years after the war to offer veterans a proper chance to obtain citizenship. And the Immigration Act of 1990 only allowed each veteran to bring one immediate family member to the United States with him, forcing most to leave their children behind.
20-year wait
The shortcomings of that law have left the sons and daughters of the veterans with no choice but to get in line for immigration visas along with everyone else.
On average, they must wait about 20 years because so many Filipinos hope to emigrate and the limits are set by nationality.
Pablo's three sons and four daughters have been on the waiting list since 1994, two years after he immigrated to Hawaii and became a US citizen.
Today, thousands of elderly veterans - including those wounded in battle and awarded the Bronze Star and other medals - are forced to live their last years far from their children and grandchildren.
Sen. Daniel K. Akaka, a Hawaii Democrat, this year reintroduced a bill to remedy the situation, allowing children of Filipino World War II veterans to sidestep the immigration waiting list.
"The promise back then was, 'Hey, you're going to become American citizens and you'll get full benefits.' After the war ended, for some reason, the US reneged on that promise," said Jon Yoshimura, an Akaka spokesman.
The measure died last year when it was included in a large omnibus immigration bill that was derailed by disagreements over a border fence and making English the national language.
Akaka is optimistic the US Senate will pass the reunification legislation this year, Yoshimura said.
The Veterans Affairs Committee, which Akaka chairs, plans to hold hearings on the issue next month coinciding with the 65th anniversary of the Bataan Death March on April 9.
Pablo enlisted in the Philippine Scouts, a US Army unit, after a recruiting truck drove through his hometown in the province of Ilocos Norte.
When the Imperial Japanese Army invaded on Dec. 8, 1941, he and his fellow soldiers dug foxholes to fight against troops shooting at them from the jungle.
He recalls hunkering down between the corpses of fallen comrades, using their bodies to shield him from bullets.
Other Filipinos formed the resistance against Japanese troops after US forces surrendered at Bataan and Gen. Douglas MacArthur withdrew to Australia uttering the famous phrase "I shall return."
Belinda Aquino, a University of Hawaii political science professor, said the US "dumped" Filipino veterans after World War II. Their cause then struggled in the postwar years as the US focused on fighting communism.
"The Philippines was just not an important priority for the US," she said.
Pablo could live in the Philippines near his children. But he prefers to live in the United States where he can access the medical care he needs at veterans' hospitals.
War nightmares
He still takes medicine and receives therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder. The war memories from six decades ago still haunt him today.
"When he gets nightmares, he's shaking. He's saying 'Can you cover my face? They are coming,'" said his wife Fely Pablo. "He says 'The Japanese are coming!'"
Veterans and their backers say the need to reunite divided families only grows more urgent given the advancing age of the veterans.
There are as many as over 50,000 Filipino veterans of World War II alive today. Some 10,000 are said to live in the United States, including 2,000 in Hawaii. Most are in their 70s and 80s.
Abelina Madrid Shaw, a Honolulu attorney and an advocate for Filipino veterans, said lawmakers and the media seem to be paying more attention to the issue lately, perhaps because the US is again at war.
"One cannot help but think, if they're treating our Filipino veterans this way, are they going to be treating those who go to war today like that?" Shaw said. "That's pretty shabby." (AP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. (March 19, 2007 issue)
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