You are on page 1of 8

5/7/2021 Repeal the Rescission Act of 1946

Friday, May 7, 2021 


NEWS BUSINESS FINANCE TECHNOLOGY LIFESTYLE SPORTS POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT

BLOGS

Repeal the Rescission Act of 1946


By: Filipino Veterans Education Project (FilVetRep) - @inquirerdotnet INQUIRER.NET U.S. Bureau / 10 44 AM February 18, 2021

LATEST

‘I’m among most quali ed


as next president’ —
Gordon

Filipino veterans of WWII and their supporters demonstrating for their war benefits in Washington, DC. PAUL I. Hague ruling on SCS ‘just
TANEDO paper’? Velasco believes
Duterte remarks ‘borne out
of frustration’
February 18, 1946 was an ugly stain on America’s history.
Asian markets rally on US
Seventy-five years ago this month, after America’s victory in World War II and two outlook, iron ore at record
high
months after Filipino soldiers completed their wartime service to the United States,
Congress passed the first of two Rescission Acts stripping Filipino soldiers of their LOOK: Maymay Entrata
status as U.S. veterans and effectively denying them their rightful benefits. graces Dubai-based
magazine’s cover as she
turns 24
This unconscionable act of Congress, which has persisted for 75 years, amounted to
discrimination andyou
We use cookies to ensure injustice against
get the best experiencethousands
on our website. of Filipinos
By continuing, youwho fought,
are agreeing died,
to our use of and DOH o cially resumes
cookies. To find out more, please click this link. I Agree AstraZeneca COVID 19
wounded for life under the American flag without compensation. It is time to repeal vaccination
the Rescission Act.
https://usa.inquirer.net/63926/repeal-the-rescission-act-of-1946 1/8
5/7/2021 Repeal the Rescission Act of 1946
the Rescission Act.
Friday, May 7, 2021
Although they were ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 25, 1941 as You May Like Links
Sponsored

This Game is So Beautiful it's Worth Installing Just


active members of theNEWS
UnitedBUSINESS
States Army ForcesTECHNOLOGY
FINANCE of the Far EastLIFESTYLE
(USAFFE), the U.S.POLITICSto See
SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT
Raid: Shadow Legends
Congress rescinded the President’s Executive Order that promised them full U.S.
35 Foods That Should Never Be Placed in the
veterans’ benefits. Titled “The Rescission Act of 1946,” the bill provided that “service Refrigerator
Drhealth
in the Commonwealth Army of the Philippines should not be deemed to have been
17 Actors You Didn't Know Were Gay - No. 8 Will
service in the military or naval forces of the United States.” Shock Women
Oceandraw
In the view of Congress, the Philippine Commonwealth Government was to be She Has 6 Children With A US President But No
One Knew
granted independence on July 4, 1946. Thus, Filipino soldiers and recognized High Tally
Guerrillas in the U.S. Army were expendable and were no longer the problem of the by Taboola

U.S. government.
MOST READ
In signing the bill into law, however, President Harry Truman made it clear that the
Fil-Canadian couple wins
legislation “does not release the United States from its moral obligation to provide two lotteries in less than a
for the heroic Philippine veterans who sacrificed so much for the common cause year
during the war.
Purple Yam nabs a spot in
He stated further that “Philippine Army veterans are nationals of the United States
the 2021 Michelin Bib
Gourmand guide
and will continue in that status until July 4, 1946. They fought, as American
nationals, under the American flag, and under the direction of our military leaders. What is the next Bitcoin?
Their official organization, the Army of the Philippine Commonwealth, was taken
into the Armed forces of the United States by executive order of the President of
the United States on July 26, 1941. That order has never been revoked or amended. Fil-Am mom-daughter
I consider it a moral obligation of the United States to look after the welfare of ‘trapped together’ in new
play
Philippine Army veterans.”
Young nurses create app
But the Rescission Act of 1946 reduced the obligation of the U.S. government to that connects people to
take care of its Filipino war veterans. On May 22, 1946, Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, as service providers
Resident Commissioner of the Philippines, spoke on the floor of the US House of
Who is the best chef in the
Representatives and denounced the US Congress for its “act of discrimination” world?
against Filipinos.

Service and sacrifice When is the right time to


sell stocks?
From July 26, 1941 to December 31, 1946, Filipino Army soldiers and guerrillas
fought and defended a sovereign territory of the United States, as part of the U.S.
Armed Forces in the Far East, commanded by General Douglas MacArthur. Their
courage, selfless sacrifice, and fierce determination defeated the Japanese Imperial
Forces in Oct 1944, and in the liberation of the Philippines in August 1945. -8% -33%

During the entire Philippine War campaign, over 260,000 Filipino and American
soldiers and guerrillas served. They suffered heavy losses in casualties, estimated at
57,000, in the now famous battles of Bataan and Corregidor. During the infamous
Bataan Death March, about seventy thousand prisoners of war – both American -7%
and Filipino – marched 65 miles to Japanese internment camps, where they were
imprisoned
We use cookies under
to ensure inhuman conditions.
you get the best experience on our website. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of
cookies. To find out more, please click this link. I Agree

Despite the essential role Filipino soldiers played in the United States victory in the
ifi d i ld h i ib i
https://usa.inquirer.net/63926/repeal-the-rescission-act-of-1946
i d f di d d lib 2/8
5/7/2021 Repeal the Rescission Act of 1946
Pacific during World War II, their contributions in defending democracy and liberty
Friday, May 7, 2021
were totally ignored. Instead, the U.S. government denied them one important right 
given to everyone elseNEWS
who has served inFINANCE
BUSINESS the United States Military:
TECHNOLOGY the right
LIFESTYLE to
SPORTS POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT
veterans’ benefits.

Of the 66 allied nations who fought with the U.S. in World War II, only the
Philippines was singled out by the Rescission Act of 1946. -2%

Blatant Discrimination Against Veteran Minority Groups

Filipino soldiers are the last of veteran minority groups that suffered outright
discrimination from the U.S. 5.5 Lazada Sale
Lazada Philippines

African American soldiers were in segregated units led by white officers. On July 26,
1948, when President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, he directed the
desegregation of the U.S. Armed Forces to repudiate 170 years of sanctioned
discrimination against African American troops.

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed  Executive Order 9066
and ordered the incarceration of over  120,000 Japanese Americans who were held
in 10 internment camps across the U.S. This executive order was enforced on March
21, 1942 when Roosevelt signed Public Law 503. In 1943, some 16,000 Japanese
Americans or Nisei soldiers enlisted in the U.S. Army to prove their loyalty to the
United States.

In 1988, the Civil Liberties Act, Public Law 100-383,  was passed by Congress that
granted redress of $20,000 and a formal presidential apology to every Japanese
American citizen who were incarcerated during World War II. The Nisei soldiers
were awarded 21 Medals of Honor for their heroism and venerated for their
uncommon courage and sacrifice in defense of their country.

Chinese Americans endured years of injustice under the Chinese Exclusion Act of
1882. In 1943, Congress repealed this statute, which allowed Chinese Americans to
become U.S. citizens. Congress also allowed over 20,000 to enlist in the Army, Navy,
Marines, Army Air Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines during WWII.

For the Filipinos, the Rescission Act of 1946 have taken a lasting toll of indignation
and betrayal of promise made by a country they vowed to defend and were later
victorious against a brutal enemy. It is beyond their time of having experienced a
lifetime of racial discrimination and social injustice above their duty to serve the
United States in war and not receive the same equal care and treatment granted by
Congress to the African American soldiers, Japanese American soldiers, and
Chinese American soldiers.

This is an insurmountable tragedy in American history. On July 22, 1998 at a


Congressional Hearing, then Representative Nancy Pelosi (now Speaker of the
House) stated: “I consider the Rescission Act of 1946 to be a scar on the historical
record of theto United
We use cookies ensure you States.
get the bestIn a timeonofourwar,
experience weByasked
website. foryou
continuing, and received
are agreeing to ourthe
use of
cookies. To find out more, please click this link. I Agree
commitment of these Filipino soldiers to serve under the U.S. authority. While they
were fighting for their country, they were also fighting for the Unites States. Having
https://usa.inquirer.net/63926/repeal-the-rescission-act-of-1946 3/8
5/7/2021 Repeal the Rescission Act of 1946
g g y, y g g g
U.S. andMay
Filipino soldiers under one centralized command structure was vital to the
Friday, 7, 2021

expeditious liberation of the Philippines and saved the lives of American lives.”
NEWS BUSINESS FINANCE TECHNOLOGY LIFESTYLE SPORTS POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT

5.5 Lazada Sale


Lazada Philippines

A moral obligation’

The late U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI), who championed the Filipino
veterans’ struggle for justice and equity, criticized the 1946 Rescission Acts for their
“anti-Filipino discriminatory intent.” He said the United States “made a solemn
promise, and with hardly a hearing, we revoked it. This episode is a blight upon the
character of the United States, and it must be cleansed.” Throughout his long service
in Congress, Sen. Inouye, along with other champions of Filipino World War II
veterans, sought to repeal the Rescission Act “as a moral obligation.”

Numerous Filipino American veterans and community organization sought for years
to correct this grievous injustice by seeking to win these benefits back, but with
little success. In the 1990s, Congress allowed thousands to immigrate under a
limited quota basis to become U.S. citizens. Funeral and burial rights came a decade
later, prompting some of them to conclude that old Filipino soldiers must die first
before the U.S. government can repay them for their military services. In 2009,
almost 63 years later, Congress eventually granted them one-time lump sum
payments as financial compensation: $15,000 each for those who are US citizens
and $9,000 each for non-US citizens. Only some 18,000 were granted these
payments from the 48,000 who applied for redress of their wartime service.
Thousands of veterans who were denied of their compensation have died waiting
for their appeals to be heard in court proceedings.

But official recognition for their service and sacrifice came more than 70 years later.
On November 30, 2016, Congress passed the Filipino World War II Veterans
Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015. In remarks made during the awards
ceremony on Oct. 25, 2017, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said: “It is a
mark of a confident and exceptional nation to look back on its history and say we
made a grievous error, but we recognize it and pledge never to let it happen again.”

A matter of honor and dignity

But the untold story of Filipino World War II veterans remains a dark chapter in U.S.
history for asto long
We use cookies ensure as
you the 1946
get the Rescission
best experience Act remains
on our website. in you
By continuing, thearebooks.
agreeing to our use of
cookies. To find out more, please click this link. I Agree

“It not only deprived Filipino soldiers combat pay and their rightful benefits. It
https://usa.inquirer.net/63926/repeal-the-rescission-act-of-1946 4/8
5/7/2021 Repeal the Rescission Act of 1946

stripped them of their honor and dignity,” says Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret),
Friday, May 7, 2021
chairman of the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP).  
“They suffered severeNEWS
humiliation and the
BUSINESS shameful
FINANCE betrayal by LIFESTYLE
TECHNOLOGY a nation whom theyPOLITICS
SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT
served with loyalty and uncommon valor. For more than 70 years, our veterans
endured these racially-motivated acts, which singled them out for discrimination
and unfair treatment.”

In remarks made at a memorial the day before his inauguration, President Joe Biden
reminded the American people that “to heal, we must remember. It’s hard
sometimes to remember, but that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a
nation.” At his inauguration on January 20, he invited the American people to reflect
on the nation’s past, again reminding them that “there’s much to repair, and much to
restore.”

In calling on Congress to repeal the Rescission Act, Taguba affirms President Biden’s
words with this call to action: “Let us never forget that our veterans endured a
lifetime of injustice and indignation inflicted by a shameful act of Congress. It’s time
we remove this ugly stain and close this dark chapter in our nation’s history.”

On behalf of the Filipino veterans who fought with valor, loyalty and duty to serve
the United States alongside Americans in the Philippines during World War II, we
respectfully ask Congress to act and repeal the Rescission Act of 1946, repudiate
the injustice these veterans have suffered for 75 years, and heal the indignation,
pain, and sorrow they endured over a lifetime.

The Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetREP), is a


nonpartisan,501(c)(3) tax-exempt, community-based, all-volunteer national initiative
whose mission is to obtain national recognition of Filipino and American WW11 soldiers
across the United States and the Philippines for their wartime service to the U.S. and the
Philippines from July 26, 1941 to December 31, 1946. For more information about
Filipino WWII veterans and how to get involved, visit our website at www.filvetrep.org or
find us on Facebook or Twitter.

This Game is So Beautiful it's Worth Installing Just to See


Victory awaits those who can rally the right Champions! 1+ million builds
and 400+ hyper-realistic champions to take down your opponents in this …
Raid: Shadow Legends | Sponsored Click Here

How to Think Like a CEO


Now that you're an agency CEO, you can't operate the same way you did as a
freelancer. Here's how to shift your mindset.
Chatfuel | Sponsored

Do You Still Keep These in The Fridge? You Are Making a Mistake!
Drhealth | Sponsored

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of
cookies. To find out more, please click this link. I Agree
35 Foods That Should Never Be Placed in the Refrigerator
Drhealth | Sponsored
https://usa.inquirer.net/63926/repeal-the-rescission-act-of-1946 5/8
5/7/2021 Repeal the Rescission Act of 1946
Drhealth | Sponsored

Friday, May 7, 2021 


NEWS BUSINESS FINANCE TECHNOLOGY LIFESTYLE SPORTS POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT

Man Pulls Hidden String In Malabon And Discovers Secret Room Filled
With...
Novelodge | Sponsored

Length Of Your Finger Reveals A Few Surprises About Your Personality


Little-Tricks.com | Sponsored

17 Actors You Didn't Know Were Gay - No. 8 Will Shock Women
Oceandraw | Sponsored

MORE STORIES

What is the next Bitcoin? When is the right time to US court authorizes IRS to
sell stocks? seek taxpayers who have
used cryptocurrency

Don't miss out on the latest news and information.

TAGS: Filipino WWII veterans, US-Philippine relations, WWII

For feedback, complaints, or inquiries, contact us.

Disclaimer: Comments do not represent the views of INQUIRER.net. We reserve the right to exclude comments which
are inconsistent with our editorial standards. FULL DISCLAIMER

What is your reaction?

0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Happy Unmoved Amused Excited Angry Sad

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of
cookies. To find out more, please click this link. I Agree

https://usa.inquirer.net/63926/repeal-the-rescission-act-of-1946 6/8
5/7/2021 Repeal the Rescission Act of 1946

Friday, May 7, 2021



NEWS BUSINESS FINANCE TECHNOLOGY LIFESTYLE SPORTS POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Be the first to comment

TALK OF THE TOWN

Fil-Am teen shot dead as he 5 Most powerful zodiac signs


opened door of his family - what you should know about
home
2 Comments
5 Comments

Biden starts reuniting migrant Brainstorm with family in


families separated by Trump Washington, DC led to
policy Patreng’s community pantry
2 Comments 2 Comments

Is Bitcoin a good investment? |


Why you should invest now
1 Comment

Show more articles

Add Vuukle Privacy

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of
cookies. To find out more, please click this link. I Agree
Comedian Gary Lising found dead by son in condo
Inquirer net
https://usa.inquirer.net/63926/repeal-the-rescission-act-of-1946 7/8
5/7/2021 Repeal the Rescission Act of 1946
Inquirer.net

Friday, May 7, 2021



‘Lampungan’ photos nina BUSINESS
NEWS Ellen at Derek
FINANCEsa beach binanatan
TECHNOLOGY ng netizens:
LIFESTYLE SPORTS POLITICS ENTERTAINMENT
Mahiya naman kayo!
Inquirer.net

She Has 6 Children With A US President But No One Knew


High Tally | Sponsored

Photos Show The Di erence Between Meghan & Kate


Dailyforest | Sponsored

Big Rewards For Filipino People Born Before 1981 (See if You Qualify)
Survey Compare | Sponsored

No more face-o : Duterte backs out of debate with Carpio, assigns Roque
instead
Inquirer.net

Female PCG member gives insight on radio challenge that made Chinese
ships ee
Inquirer.net

6 Reasons Your Marketing Agency Should O er Chatbot Services


Chatfuel | Sponsored

INQUIRER CHANNELS SERVICES THE INQUIRER COMPANY PARTNERS


Business Mobile About INQUIRER.net Libre
Technology RSS About the INQUIRER Hinge Inquirer
Entertainment Email Us User Agreement Bandera
Inquirer Interactive, Inc. 3rd Floor Sports Archive Link Policy Cebu Daily News
Media Resource Plaza Building Lifestyle Contact Us Privacy Policy DZIQ990 AM
2530 Mola corner Pasong Tirad Politics News Letter Article Index Motion Cars
Streets La Paz, Makati City 1204 Entertainment Job Openings
Tel. No.: (02) 408-9734

© Copyright 1997 2019 INQUIRER.net

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of
cookies. To find out more, please click this link. I Agree

https://usa.inquirer.net/63926/repeal-the-rescission-act-of-1946 8/8

You might also like