Here's a disturbing report. It seems the Filipino Veterans who waited decades to receive the benefits initially promised by the U.S. government in 1946 are still waiting.

Okay, this may not come as a surprise to some readers, but it did to me. I guess Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada, who recently admitted to having an affair with a former campaign worker and then having his parents provide the woman and her husband with questionable "gifts" of $96,000, claims to be part Filipino.

According to the article in the Filipino Reporter:

Facing ever-increasing challenges, President Obama's Administration seems to be in a rush to make sure that the funds from the stimulus package start to have an immediate impact. This includes distributing the benefits to Filipino Veterans who were denied equity for their service in WWII, but have now been granted a small measure of justice. According to this article in the Philippines, Filipino Veterans can start requesting their benefits of $9,000-$15,000 ($15,000 for veterans who have become US citizens and $9,000 for non-US citizens) this Thursday. A few more of the rules have also become clearer:

“We’re very busy getting ready for that. We’re going out [to] provinces to make sure we reach people personally,” Ambassador Kristie Kenney said. ... Applications must be submitted by February 16, 2010, and claims by spouses, widows or children of veterans will not be accepted, the US embassy said. “Unfortunately it doesn’t apply to” dead veterans or their families,” Kenney said. “The legislation is clear, you have to be alive.” But she gave assurances “each case will be looked at to make sure that [they are] the right people, that they are indeed eligible. In some cases it might take longer or less longer.”

Some more info after the jump:

Congratulations to all those who worked so hard on this issue and for so many years. It really is about honoring the veterans of this country. As for politically how this plays out, and we are a political site, it will be interesting to see how this is reported in the Filipino press and whether or not it turns some of those Republican-leaning members of the community more towards the Democratic party. Here's another press release, this time from the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity:

President Obama expected to sign historic bill days before 63rdanniversary of Rescission Act that first revoked U.S. veteran status for Filipino WWII veterans Washington, DC- The U.S. Congress today approved HR 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the economic stimulus bill, which includes legislation regarding Filipino World War II veterans. With this vote, the bill is expected to be signed by President Obama on February 16, Presidents’ Day. This is an historic advance for these veterans, who have been fighting for recognition of their service during WWII for over 60 years.