WWII vets swamp PVAO for 2nd day to file claims

MANILA, Philippines - It was a blistering hot early afternoon in Camp Aguinaldo, but it looked more like a typical Sunday morning at the park. By the pavement overlooking the green golf course, Gloria Reyes, 74, and her grandchildren were seated under a tree. She had rolled out a tattered blanket and laid out the day’s meal from a bag she had carried from Caloocan City. Across the street, similar "picnics" have been set up by elderly people, and their relatives, while seeking comfort away from the scorching heat. Since Thursday, Reyes had been waiting to be interviewed by officers at the Philippine Veterans’ Affairs Office (PVAO) in the Camp and apply for the US benefits for World War II veterans. Today, her number, 398, was called. "It must be my lucky day," she said. But inside the PVAO office, some 100 veterans weren’t as lucky. The PVAO announced that it would only be processing 250 applications every day. Those whose waiting numbers were above 250 were told to return the next working day where they would be on the priority list. That Friday afternoon, PVAO already gave numbers to veterans for the Wednesday (Feb. 25) interview. "We started with Monday this morning," said one of the PVAO officers handing out numbers to qualified veterans. "We’ve already given out 695 numbers and it’s not yet lunch time. We might be giving out the numbers for Thursday." Since US President Barack Obama signed into law the $787-billion stimulus package bill, which included the $198-million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for Filipino war veterans, the PVAO office has never been as busy. On Thursday (Feb. 18), PVAO began processing the application of Filipino World War II veterans eligible for the $15,000 (for US citizens) and $9,000 (for enlisted Filipinos) US benefits package. "I’ve never seen the PVAO abuzz like this before," Defense Undersecretary for Veterans Affairs Ernesto Carolina told GMANews.TV on Friday. “They’ve waited long for this. They deserve it." As the number of claimants swelled, the number of complaints to PVAO also more than doubled. Carolina said they had been constantly hounded by unqualified claimants seeking to get a hold of Obama’s gift. PVAO has some 230,000 pensioners, including 60,000 who are considered World War II veterans. Of the 60,000 World War II pensioners of PVAO, only 18,000 are considered eligible to receive the US grant, including 6,000 who are living in the US. While first-day applicants on Thursday were confused by the eligibility rules, the Filipino veterans on the second day of application were more at ease. At the PVAO gate, Red Cross volunteers had a makeshift first-aid booth. Several wheelchairs were also lined up for veterans who had difficulty in walking. "They’re making us feel we’re important," said Brig. Gen. Ernesto Venturina, 80, a US citizen who was waiting in line in one of PVAO’s air-conditioned conference rooms. "In the States, if you are a veteran, you are Number 1. At least here, we’re feeling the same thing," he said. Carolina said they would keep their doors open to veterans until Feb. 17, 2010. After that, their counterpart in Washington would check the applications and verify if they were included in the Missouri list created in 1948. The list contains the names of Filipinos who belonged to the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), Philippine Scouts (new), and other recognized guerilla units. Only those included in the list are eligible for the US benefits. - GMANews.TV