CA Bill Would Recognize Filipino WWII Veterans in School Curriculum

"They can pay us to die, but they can't pay us to live" is a phrase often used to describe the plight of the forgotten Filipino veterans who fought in World War II yet were denied benefits due to their immigration status. Only now is their sacrifice for the United States starting to be remembered. The California State Assembly has taken up the fight for Filipino veterans equity with a proposed bill, AB 199, that would encourage the inclusion of the contributions of WWII Filipino veterans in the 7-12 social studies curriculum.

The Rescission Act of 1946 stripped Filipino vets of benefits, with the excuse that the official declaration of Philippine independence changed their immigration status from U.S. citizens to U.S. nationals. They were the only ethnic group to face this denial, and were forgotten by the U.S. government and in the pages of history books. AB 199, authored by Assemblymember Fiona Ma, while not a state mandate, is a step forward in keeping the memory of Filipino WWII veterans alive.

"To be on equal footing with anybody who served with me, that's what I want. I fought for democracy," says, Peping Baclig, a Filipino WWII veteran and survivor of the Bataan death march in a Public Service Announcement for the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity (NAFVE) (see video below).

Baclig, who recently passed away last month, was one of the last 18,000 remaining Filipino WWII veterans out of 200,000 who served under President Roosevelt. Director Patricio Ginelsa, famous for his video of Black Eyed Peas "the apl song" highlighting the veterans equity struggle, recounts his memories of "Mang Peping" Baclig as a community icon: "The first time I saw him was on stage at a veteran themed Pilipino Cultural Night. He would become a constant staple in my eyes at countless community events, veteran rallies, and in powerful photographs showing him and his fellow veterans chained to the White House fence in protest."

Veterans continue to die everyday without full benefits. AB 199 can at least honor the veterans' sacrifice through public education so that future generations will know of their struggle.

KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress (formerly Filipinos for Obama) is currently working with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to address the issues of full equity and ongoing needs of Filipino WWII veterans and their families. They've also started a petition on Change.org in support of California's veterans assembly bill. Please sign their petition to keep the memory of these veterans alive in the history books.

Video directed by: Patricio Ginelsa