Tag: World War II

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Filipino WWII Veterans to Receive a Collective Congressional Gold Medal of Honor

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San Francisco CA – Veterans and their advocates nationwide and in the Philippines applaud the passage of the “Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015” (H.R.2737/S.B.1555) before the House of Representatives on November 30, 2016.

Led by Maj. Gen. Antonio “Tony” Taguba, the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetRep) a non profit organization, successfully advocated for the passage of a bill that will award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service. Maj. Gen. Taguba established the FilVetRep with grassroots organizations nationwide to raise awareness of the contributions and sacrifices of our Filipino World War II Veterans.

The bill was initially introduced in both chambers of the U.S. Congress on June 11, 2015 where the lead sponsors were Representative Tulsi Gubbard and Senator Mazie Hirono both from the State of Hawaii. The Senate Bill 1555 was first approved on July 13, 2016 and the House bill was approved on November 30, 2016, by voice vote of majority of the members of the House of Representatives. With the approval of both houses, the bill will now go to President Obama to sign into law.

Philippine based lawyer Lilibeth Abiog asked what in tangible terms will it mean to a Filipino veteran. Upon learning of his father’s eligibility for a medal, she expressed what most veterans feel about this recognition, “My 95-year-old father will appreciate that!”. Ms. Abiog’s father is currently living with her in the Philippines

A daughter of a Filipino veteran, Emilna Vales of Union City is excited about the passage, but is in quandary if as a daughter of a veteran she could receive a medal on behalf of his deceased father, Lucas J. Arevalo who served as a USAFFE and was a Bataan Death March survivor. “The Congressional Medal of Honor is awarded collectively to all 260,000 Filipino World War II veterans,” explained Luisa Antonio, Regional Director of FilVetRep, “the bill defines the term Filipino World War II Veterans and as long as there is proof of military service, the next of kin will be receiving a medal.”

Immigration lawyer Lourdes S. Tancinco, Board President of the Veterans Equity Center, a San Francisco based organization, said that the Congressional Gold Medal is symbolic of their sacrifices and a honor to all Filipino veterans, “to receive the highest award granted to civilians by the U.S. Congress is a long deserved tribute for all their sacrifices during the war and the the national appreciation bestowed to them is a commendation of the highest level specially after what they have gone through historically.”

The signing of the bill and the formal presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Filipino World War II veterans will be the next steps to look forward to. As time is no longer in their hands, Felix Junia, a Filipino veteran residing in the San Francisco emphasized the importance of having the medal ready for formal presentation, “I hope the medal will be ready soon because I am looking forward to still be around when the medal is presented.”

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Trump calling PH a ‘terrorist nation’ is absurd

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At a campaign rally in Portland, Maine earlier this month, Presidential candidate Donald Trump discussed his plans to suspend the entry of nationals from terrorist nations into the United States because it’s too difficult to vet terrorists. In his speech, Mr. Trump listed the Philippines as one of the terrorist nations whose immigrants, or in Mr. Trump’s words – “animals”, have been arrested in the United States for terrorism-related offenses. Not only is Mr. Trump’s inclusion of the Philippines offensive considering the historical relationship between the Philippines and the United States, but it sends the wrong message to Filipino immigrants in the US and future immigrants from the Philippines.

The U.S. Department of State designates only three countries as states sponsoring terrorism – Iran, Syria and Sudan – and the Philippines is not one of them.

The United States and the Philippines have strong historical ties as allies. We were allies in the fight against fascism during World War II. During the cold war, the U.S. military bases were present in the Philippines for more than half a century. In the present war on terror, the Philippines entered into an agreement with the U.S. to allow U.S. soldiers to be stationed in some areas in the Philippines to train local forces on counter terror operations. So how can the Philippines be on the list as a terrorist nation? Was Mr. Trump referring to a dangerous terrorist group called Abu Sayyaf in Southern Philippines? This extremist group has been designated as a terrorist group even by the Philippine government together with other nations, like UK, Canada, Australia and the United States, among others. How can a terrorist group not be distinguished from a terrorist nation?

Filipinos have been coming to America for over 100 years. Filipino immigrants are one of the largest foreign-born groups in the United States. Latest census indicates that there are 3.4 million Filipinos (native- and foreign-born) which is the second largest Asian ethnic group in the United States.

Studies show that the median income of Filipino households headed by an immigrant was $82,370 as of 2013, far above the $53,000 of United States-born households.

Filipino Americans (most of whom are voters) have family members who are in the Philippines and a significant number of these Filipinos have pending petitions for their family members. Currently, there is a pending backlog of 400,000 petitions where applicants for visas have been patiently waiting for visa availability. Instead of barring admission based on assumptions, Presidential candidates should consider supporting federal legislative reforms that will eliminate the visa backlogs and create a more efficient immigration system for family members of U.S. citizens and residents. The changes must reflect policies that promote family unification, facilitate immigrant assimilation and boost economic growth.

Lawful Filipino immigrants who have played by the rules and who have contributed to the growth of this nation must be recognized.

In this war on terror, the Philippines and the United States are allies as they have been historically. On the immigration policy of admitting immigrants, both permanent and temporary, the vetting procedures for those who wish to enter the United States is quite extensive. The various levels of security checks that a person undergoes before being issued a temporary and permanent resident visa are comprehensive enough to determine who are threats to national security. If, in fact, the current vetting policy is not enough, the solution is certainly not to bar admission of nationals of a country who have always been an ally of the United States.

(Atty. Lourdes Santos Tancinco, Esq. is an immigration attorney with the Tancinco Law Offices, a San Francisco CA based law firm. She may be reached at 1 888 930 0808, law@tancinco.com, facebook.com/tancincolaw, or through her website tancinco.weareph.com/old)