Craig the Grinch

Global Networking : Craig the Grinch


By Rodel Rodis
INQUIRER.net

Posted date: December 27, 2007


There was so much optimism early this year in February when I joined Gen. Antonio Taguba in walking the halls of the US Congress to lobby House members to support the Filipino Veterans Equity Bill. Without exception, all of us felt in our bones that after 26 years of lobbying, this would be the year that the Rescission Act of 1946 is finally rescinded.

This excitement was fueled by the Democratic sweep in the November 2006 elections which resulted in the appointment of Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Representative Bob Filner (D-California), the two principal sponsors of the bill in the Senate and in the House, as chairs of the veterans affairs committees of their respective chambers.

By April of 2007, both Senator Akaka and Representative Filner had conducted hearings on their respective equity bills and had garnered their committees’ approval. It had never advanced to this stage before and many believed that it would be just a matter of time before the bills are brought to a floor vote in the Senate and House.

On June 27, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee approved the Veterans Benefits and Emoluments Act (S. 1315) which incorporated the provisions of the Filipino Veterans Equity Bill (S.57). A provision included proposed monthly pensions of $911 for US-based veterans, and $300 for those residing in the Philippines for non-service connected, or non-combat related disability.

“S.1315 would fix a historical wrong,” Akaka said, “Filipino veterans served under the command of the US military during World War II. They were considered by the Veterans' Administration, the predecessor of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, to be veterans of the US military, naval and air service until that status was revoked by the Rescission Acts of 1946.”

The main opposition to the Senate bill came from Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho), the former chair of the Senate Veterans Committee, who calculated the price tag of the bill to be almost $1 billion over 10 years which he believes the US government cannot afford when “there are other pressing bills pending before the Committee especially benefits for veterans of the War on Terror.”
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) under Secretary Jim Nicholson added that additional benefit costs including medical and memorial benefits of $510 million in the first year would total more than $4 billion over 10 years.

How could Senator Craig be convinced to drop his strident opposition to the Filvets bill? Would it be too much to hope that he would just resign so the bill could pass? Would the prayers of the Filipino veterans be answered?

On June 11 of this year, Senator Craig went to the men’s room of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and was arrested by an undercover officer for lewd and lascivious conduct. On August 1, Senator Craig pled guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge hoping no one would notice. But when news of the gay solicitation charge broke, which GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell described as “unforgivable”, Senator Craig had no choice but to announce his resignation from the US Senate effective September 30.

Unfortunately, this was too much to ask as Senator Craig reneged on his promise to resign. In a key vote in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he placed a "hold" on the bill because "a provision was added after it cleared the committee to reopen VA health care to new Priority 8 enrollees." Priority 8 enrollees are veterans with no service-connected disabilities and no adequate income by government standards.

Craig objected because non-US citizens would be treated by VA health care centers in the Philippines. "First of all, they do not live in this country, they are not US citizens. They are taking money away from our veterans. That is the 'Robin Hood in reverse' effect. At least Robin Hood, when he took money, left it in Nottingham. He spread it out amongst his own. Here we are taking money from our own and sending it all the way to the Philippines," Senator Craig the Grinch charged.

When the Japanese soldiers fired their weapons at the allies in the Philippines, did the bullets distinguish between US citizens and Philippine citizens?

Perhaps the most eloquent response to Senator Craig was the selfless sacrifice of seven of the grandsons of these “Robin Hoods” who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan in the service of the United States just in the last six months: Army Pfc. Victor M. Fontanilla, 23, Stockton, CA (5/17/07), Army Spc. Mark R. C. Caguioa, 21, Stockton, CA ( 5/24/07), Army Sgt. Richard V. Correa, 25, Honolulu, HI (5/29/07), Army Staff Sgt. Greg P. Gagarin, 38, Los Angeles, CA (6/3/07), Marine Sgt. Michael E. Tayaotao, 27,Sunnyvale, CA (8/9/07), Army Pfc. Paulomarko U. Pacificador, 24, Shirley, NY (8/13/07), and Army Specialist Lester Roque, 23, Carson, CA (11/10/07).

While the year ended on a dispiriting note, there was hope that the gains of 2007 will carry over to 2008. Perhaps.

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