25 May 2004 - Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert hailed the recent unanimous vote of the California State Assembly Budget Subcommittee to reject the earlier proposal to eliminate the cash benefits for Fil-Am war veterans who were former California state residents but are now living in the Philippines.  This is the gist of a report from the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco.

“This is a major victory for the Fil-Am veterans who have vigilantly monitored and campaigned for the retention of their benefits”, the Secretary said as she congratulated them and their supporters.

“The veterans’ rights advocates in the United States as well as in the Philippines, led by Senate President Franklin Drilon, have done a great service to these aging World War II veterans,” the Secretary said.

Earlier there were proposals to scrap the funding for the veterans’ benefits in the California State Assembly in order to balance the state’s budget.  Presently each veteran receives $2l6 monthly, which is a considerable help in the financial needs of the veterans at a time when they could no longer work.

“This latest development in successfully protecting the interests of Filipino nationals abroad could be attributed in part to the efforts of the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC and the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco”, Secretary Albert added. END.