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MANILA, Philippines?For Fortunato Pacatang, a Filipino World War II veteran, his five-hour trip from Negros Oriental to Cebu City on February 24, 2009 to personally fill out forms needed for him to avail of his compensation under the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund was too much to bear.
The trip might not have been much different from the hardships experienced by WWII Filipino soldiers during the Bataan Death March, a six-day, 60-mile hike where many died of abuse and exhaustion along the route.
It has been years since he last went on a long trip. In order to reach his destination, he had to take a ferry on a stormy sea and then a bus over dust-covered trails.
?My mother, who accompanied my lolo, said the trip was tiring and rough, especially for the elderly,? recalled 31-year-old granddaughter Jerrylyn Ciminiano. ?My grandfather was 90 years old.?
Hospital instead of camp
Pacatang and his daughter-in-law Morina were heading to Camp Lapu-Lapu, which was set up by the United States embassy in Manila as a processing center where veterans could process their papers and be interviewed before getting their one-time lump-sum payment under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
According to this law passed by the US Congress and signed by US President Barack Obama on February 17, 2009, a qualified Filipino WWII veteran is entitled to $9,000 (about P414,000) as financial aid from the American government. This is to finally compensate the service of Filipino soldiers in the US army, albeit more than 60 years
later.
Instead of going straight to the camp, Morina found herself rushing her father-in-law to a veterans hospital near the area.
The old man was running after his breath, she said.
?They expected long lines in the camp, but this came as a surprise,? Jerrylyn said. ?My lolo had no ailment and was relatively strong, but the trip surely made his health deteriorate.?
Couldn?t afford hospital
Pacatang never made it to camp. Worse, he was forced to leave the hospital since the two did not have enough money to pay for the bills. ?He stayed there for only a day. He was given a prescription. But since they couldn?t pay for the injection the nurse gave him, they were asked to leave,? said Jojo Pacatang, 26, a grandson.
They thought his grandfather?s admission would be free since the hospital was especially built for Filipino veterans.
The former member of the US Armed Forces in the Far East went back to his hometown where he was again admitted to another hospital which, according to Jojo, was far from their town and had inadequate facilities.
He died on February 26, 2009.
Delayed burial
What happened in February 2009 will forever haunt the Pacatangs. They would not have lost their beloved old man under the most tragic circumstances had he not traveled the distance. One problem after another followed in the aftermath of their bereavement?problems that have no solutions until now.
They have been promised by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office a sum of P10,500 as part of the financial aid given to veterans. Members of the family had intended to spend this amount for burial, but were dismayed when they were informed that only the veteran or his spouse could claim it.
?He?s already dead so how can he claim it?? Jojo lamented. ?And my grandmother died years before my grandfather passed away. Thirteen years, to be exact.?
As a result, the burial had to be delayed since the family needed to borrow more money from friends and relatives. They spent around P100,000 for interment and, to date, they have not completely settled their debts.
Jerrylyn said that this was not the first time her lolo or the family was not able to take full advantage of the benefits given to Filipino war veterans.
In 1974, Pacatang was issued a green card, which could have granted him permanent residency in the US. But since he was not properly informed about what the card was for, the old soldier just kept it and soon forgot about it. The card later resurfaced, soiled and tattered after a flood.
Since Pacatang died, claiming what was due him got more complicated, even if, before dying, he managed to submit all the requirements and sign all the necessary papers. He did all this while he was confined in the Cebu hospital, where representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs paid him a visit.
According to the family?s attorney-in-fact Ares Goyena who initially looked into the case, the law states that, like the P10,500 financial aid, only the veteran and his spouse can collect the $9,000 check.
The law also specified that guerilla fighters authorized by the Armed Forces of the United States and members of the Philippine Scouts covered in Section 14 of the Armed Forces Voluntary Recruitment Act of 1945 can receive the monetary benefit. All beneficiaries should have completed their service and were honorably discharged.
Unfair treatment
?I talked to a representative of the US embassy?s veterans affairs office over the phone and she explained to me that the heirs of the veterans cannot claim the compensation package since US law does not allow it,? Goyena said.
Asked what the Pacatangs can do, he answered: ?Nothing. The law is clear. It?s a long shot that they will amend the law knowing how long the fight in the US Congress took for it to be passed. Pacatang may not be the only widower-veteran who died waiting for the check to arrive.?
?But isn?t it fair that at least the family gets something from the valiant efforts of our lolo?? asked Jojo. ?Does this mean just because he died while processing his papers, he doesn?t merit anything from the sacrifices he made for the country and the US??
Jerrylyn and Jojo have been following up the case with the US embassy but to no avail. Nevertheless, they vow to exhaust their resources just to get what they believe was rightfully theirs.
?Even simply calling the embassy is hard,? Jojo said. ?We?re having problems since only our grandfather is authorized to make the transactions, but, again, how can he when he?s already gone??
He continued, ?We were once asked to supply a Special Power of Attorney, and we did. But then the people in the embassy said it?s still impossible for us to get our lolo?s money. We don?t really know how the process works, but things just aren?t right. It would help if they won?t let us go around in circles.?
The US Department of Veterans Affairs had approved the applications of 12,846 eligible Filipino WWII veterans after the filing of applications ended on February 16. The US embassy in Manila said that a total of about P7.2 billion had been paid to qualified veterans or their widows.
Similar plea
In the US, other Filipino veterans are asked for detailed information about their activities while fighting under the American flag for them to claim their benefits. Also, they need to provide supporting testimonies from their colleagues during the war.
How can people as old as 90 vividly recall the things they did 60 years ago? they asked. And how can their colleagues give testimonies when many of them are already dead?
