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CEBU CITY, Philippines ? US Embassy officials decided to extend their interview period to Saturday, February 29, to accommodate about 1,000 World War II veterans from Central Visayas.
As early as 6 a.m. on Tuesday, scores of veterans along with their families trooped to the Central Command (Centcom) covered court in Camp Lapu-Lapu in Barangay (village) Lahug, Cebu City to be interviewed by three US Embassy representatives.
However the 873 veterans, not a few of whom travelled as far as Negros, Leyte and Bohol, voiced dismay after embassy representatives confined their interviews and processing to only 250 applicants on Tuesday.
As of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, only 76 claims were processed.
Some had to be represented by their family, like veteran Arcadio Lleguno of Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.
Arcadio can no longer talk, being paralyzed.
His son Erasmo said it is difficult for him since he had to leave work to accommodate his father.
Emmanuel Pabilona, regional chief of the Philippine Veterans Association Office (PVAO), said the number system conducted by the US Embassy representatives are done on a first come, first serve basis.
The priority numbers were distributed by Pabilona at the main entrance of the gate.
Once the veterans secured a number, they sat on a row of plastic chairs and waited for their numbers to be called.
Three representatives of the US Veterans Administration from the US Embassy - Bentley B. Lim, Jaqueline Reyes and Jasmine Ruiz ? began the interviews at 7:30 a.m.
Veterans covered under the $9,000 (P435,000) lump sum payments consist of guerillas, members of the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) and Philippine Scouts who enlisted prior to July 1, 1945.
The interview is the first step in receiving the financial package.
Claimants should bring the following documentary requirements: two forms of identification, one VA Claim number, a Service Number, one Philippine Veterans Affairs Office Claim number, a Philippine Veterans Affairs Office Pension Bank account number and a US Passport if they are US citizens.
For the processing, embassy representatives will require claimants to fill up forms and have their pictures taken to be scheduled for interview.
The date of interview will be placed on a white board.
The second step would be the verification of the veteran's personal documents followed by an interview.
The veteran will then be given an acknowledgment receipt for the ?American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.?
A representative will then call him after a month for confirmation on when he will receive the amount.
The long wait has caused three veterans to collapse from the heat.
They were brought to the hospital inside Camp Lapu-Lapu for treatment.
Two ambulances were on standby outside the court to attend to ailing veterans.
Veterans living outside Cebu City will be accommodated at the Ebarita Hall owned by the ALU-TUCP labor group at Pier 1 for temporary lodging.
A couple of Kaohsiung buses were used to transport the veterans and their companions from the covered court to the Ebarita hall and to the North and South Bus Terminals in Cebu City.
Major Christopher Tampus, Centcom spokesman, said two medical teams were deployed to assist hospital staff in attending to the veterans.
