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US to facilitate release of vets’ funds |
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WASHINGTON, DC — Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro has received assurances from Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki of US commitment to speed up the processing of claims of Filipino veterans of World War II under the $198-million lump sum package provided for in the US stimulus package.
On the first day of his five-day visit here Wednesday, Teodoro also called on Sen. Daniel Inouye, chair of the Senate appropriations committee, and Rep. Bob Filner of California, chair of the House committee on veterans affairs, both of whom championed legislation giving long-sought benefits to Filipino veterans of the Pacific War.
Teodoro conveyed the Philippine government’s appreciation for continuing US support for the veterans’ war claims to Shinseki, who reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to facilitate record verification procedures and the payment of claims.
Making up
The US grant of benefits and recognition of Filipino war veterans have been long overdue, Inouye told Teodoro. “I have long felt that the US has shortchanged the Philippines. We’re going to make up for that,” the US lawmaker said.
Teodoro assured Inouye that the senator has done more than enough in championing the cause of Filipino war veterans. “What should be done now is to work together to implement the law,” he said.
As of Sept. 1, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it has processed 8,900 applications of the total of 31,876 claims it has received so far. Out of the total number of applications processed, over $77 million have been awarded to eligible Filipino veterans. A total of 3,138 Filipino veterans with US citizenship received $15,000 each, while 3,414 non-US citizen Filipino veterans received $ 9,000 each.
Outreach program
Shinseki told Teodoro the DVA plans to embark on an extensive outreach program for WWII veterans throughout the Philippines for them to beat the deadline to submit documentary requirements of war claims set Feb. 16, 2010, a year after the signing of the stimulus package.
During the meeting, Teodoro thanked Shinseki for the DVA’s grant-in-aid to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) amounting to $5.5 million since 2003 inclusive of the MRI equipment valued at $1M the delivery of which Shinseki assured next year.
Teodoro offered to Shinseki the conduct of a joint DND-DVA assessment of VMMC’s existing capabilities under the Philippine Defense Reform program to institutionalize best practices in providing medical care and services and transform VMMC into a model medical institution. Shinseki accepted Teodoro’s offer.
Building on success
During his call on Filner, Teodoro said the Philippines and the US “should now build on the success of the Filipino veterans’ campaign and bring the relationship to something beyond it.”
One other area of cooperation, Teodoro said, is Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), a non-traditional security initiative that has increasingly become more important as a result of climate change and natural disasters.
Acknowledging Teodoro’s comments, Filner said he is bringing to the Philippines a trade mission from San Diego in November this year during which Filner, also the chair of the Philippines-United States Friendship Caucus in the US House of Representatives, will meet with Filipino veterans groups.
At the meeting with Sen. Webb, Teodoro expressed his appreciation for US assistance in building schools and infrastructure in areas prone to conflict particularly in Mindanao. Despite recent clashes with the Abu Sayyaf, the Philippine government has significantly weakened this terrorist group, he said.
Source: inquirer.net
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