by Erin Pangilinan

They fought alongside American soldiers in World War II and were denied benefits. They should be remembered, not continually forgotten. "To be on equal footing with anybody who served with me, that's what I want. I fought for democracy," says a Filipino World War II Veteran in this PSA.

National Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month usually highlights historical lessons left out of your high school U.S. history textbook. It could range from your typical recognition of Chinese building the Transcontinental railroad to the shameful World War II Japanese American internment camps. Yet it never ceases to amaze many that we never read stories of brave Filipino World War II Veterans who fought alongside American soldiers and were denied benefits for over 60 years.

The Philippines was a U.S. colony that supposedly received 'independence' in 1946, which enabled Congress to pass the Rescission Act of 1946, stripping Filipinos of their U.S. citizenship and deeming them “U.S. nationals,” or more accurately, second class citizens. They did not receive compensation until it was officially appropriated under the economic stimulus bill last year. While veterans finally received some recognition, some of their families are still in limbo.

Photojournalist Rick Rocamora, who photographed much of the veterans equity struggle, said wives and children of deceased veterans did not benefit from the economic stimulus bill. After the bill’s passage, he recounted telling heartbreaking news to widows, children, and grandchildren, that because of the member of their direct family “died years ago, you will not receive a single cent.”

Filipino WWII Veterans die everyday. According to Inquirer.Net, and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, as of November 2008, roughly 18,000 Filipino war veterans were still alive, one-third of them U.S.-based. But the number could be lower “as they are dying at the rate of 500” every month. The Philippine Embassy in the U.S. has been working with families who were denied their pensions, yet some of these families are also still stuck in the Philippines. Filipino Americans have the longest wait in immigrating to the U.S., with siblings waiting for over 22 years to be reunited with their families.

The immigration reform bill (CIR ASAP) sponsored by Congressman Luis Gutierrez, would allow widows and children of veterans to be exempt from the Philippines immigration cap and make them more able to migrate and reunite with their families in the U.S.

Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month should really be doing more than watching street festivals with flashy dances and eating free samples. The Filipino American community is glad to educate people through the the Black Eyed Peas video "the apl song" on the issue of Filipino WWII Veterans. But that isn't enough to truly recognize our veterans' contributions to the U.S. Let's look forward to the month where students can read the veterans story in their textbooks and better yet, a month of May--or May Day where immigration reform can actually already be law.