Media Release
Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV)
Los Angeles, CA
Contact Person: Arturo P. Garcia
Phone-(213) 241-0995
July 14, 2006
Filipino World War II Veterans Still Waits for Claims Checks
Los Angeles – “It’s still a long waiting game.”
The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) the national alliance of veterans and advocates organization in the United States continue to receive numerous complaints from Filipino World War II veterans on the slow process of their claims.
“ More than five months now when the Stimulus Bill was passed and only 773 Filipino veterans in the United States have received their checks. We want to know what keeping the claims so slow” This was the remarks on the new and incoming Society of Guerillas and Scouts (SGS) Commander Nick Gadia of Los Angeles.
Another JFAV leader and AWARE Board member Mariano Pastorin complained that; “ the veterans waited for more than three years for the Americans to return to the Philippines during the war. They waited for 63 years for these benefits and now they are waiting for several more years for their claims check.”
San Francisco veteran Reggie Nacua also complained about the slow processing of the DVA. “They should consider the fact that the Filipino veterans are advancing in age . Our average age in around 80 to 90. They should hurry with the processing.”
Stark Contrast
This is contrast to the Philippine Embassy media statement that claims “ Filing and processing of Filvets claims on track”. The Philippine Ambassador Willy Gaa admitted that out of the 32,627 claims received, at least 2,834 checks were issued of which 2,061 were paid to Filipinos veterans in the Philippines.
Gaa also confirmed that 28, 63 claims are still pending and at least 1,060 were denied. JFAV are expecting that more veterans will be denied their benefits because the US DVA have a different list and the Philippine government have their own list.
According to JFAV data , there are at least 11,000 remaining Filipino World War II veterans in the United States. At least 4,000 of them lives in the Philippines and returns to the United States from time to time.
For more information please call (213)241-0906 or email us at
jfav_us@yahoo.com *****
