RESOLUTION NO. _____________

BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, COUNTY OF SAN MATEO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA

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RESOLUTION URGING THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO PASS
AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO SIGN S. 146 AND
H.R. 4574, THE FILIPINO VETERANS EQUITY ACT, HONORING
THE FILIPINO-AMERICAN VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II BY
GRANTING THEM FULL BENEFITS AS U.S. VETERANS

RESOLVED, by the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Mateo, State of California, that

WHEREAS, during World War II, when the Philippines was still a possession of the United States, Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a July 1941 executive order placing all Filipino commonwealth forces under US command and inducting more than 200,000 Filipino troops into the US Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE); and

WHEREAS, in March 1942, Congress passed Title 8 of the Second War Powers Act, granting citizenship to non-citizens who served in the US military, including members of the USAFFE, the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines and the Philippine Scouts; and

WHEREAS, throughout the war tens of thousands of Filipino soldiers were held and suffered as prisoners of war, while others maintained allegiance to the United States and risked their own lives and the lives their families in maintaining an underground fight against an occupying army, and greatly assisting allied forces during the 1944-1945 campaign to liberate the Philippines; and

WHEREAS, despite previous promises and with indifference to the Filipinos’ sacrifices, Congress passed the 1946 Rescissions Act, which disregarded the service of Filipino veterans and denied any claims for citizenship; and

WHEREAS, nearly 45 years later, Pres. George H.W. Bush signed the 1990 Immigration and Naturalization Act granting citizenship to all Filipino veterans; and

WHEREAS, Filipino-American veterans remain without full veterans benefits, nor do they enjoy equal treatment and recognitions for their military service; and

WHEREAS, surviving Filipino veterans number some 28,000 total, with approximately 8,000 living in the United States, including a large percentage in California and in San Mateo County; and

WHEREAS, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act, S. 146 AND H.R. 4574 are pending before Congress, seeking to finally correct the injustices by reclassifying Filipino veterans of World War II as US veterans entitled to all attached rights and privileges.

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY DETERMINED AND ORDERED that the Board of Supervisors officially supports the Filipino Veterans Equity Act, S. 146 AND H.R. 4574, and urges their passage and enactment. In addition, copies of this resolution shall be presented to the President of the United States, the Speaker of United States House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the United States Senate and to each member of the California Congressional Delegation.

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