Las Vegas Review - Journal At 99 years old and tethered to an oxygen tank, Silverio Cu­aresma hardly fits the image of a poster child. Yet, the Filipino-American Vet­erans of Nevada are hoping that he’ll anchor their campaign. The group wants to present President Barack Obama a petition when he visits Las Vegas (Monday) Oct. 24. The petition, with more than 500 signatures, calls for an ex­ecutive order to compel the De­partment of Veterans Affairs to grant each of these World War II veterans who are U.S. citizens a one-time, $15,000 benefit as promised under the American Recovery and Re investment Act of 2009. Others still living in the Philippines could receive $9,000.

Cuaresma was a Philippine guerrilla intelligence officer who served under famous U.S. Army cavalry Maj. Edwin Ramsey and led raids that killed many Japa­nese Imperial Army soldiers in central Luzon. Cuaresma is cur­rently midstride in appealing the VA’s denial of his benefit claim.

Although he met the Feb. 16, 2010, filing deadline and has au­thentic, yellowed, type written pa­pers documenting his service un­der Ramsey’s command as well as a signed affidavit by Ramsey himself, the VA rejected his claim. His case is not unlike more than 24,000 other Philippine-American veterans whose claims have been denied.

The reason: The VA’s Manila office and the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis don’t recognize the guerrilla rosters and other Philippine military papers they submitted for their claims.
“I feel very sad,” Cuaresma said Thursday, sitting at the din­ing room table of his daughter’s house on the Las Vegas Valley’s west side. “Despite my bravery and fight­ing for the cause of peace, free­dom and democracy for the United States and the American people, they do not recognize me as one of the defenders. It’s bad. I am a hero of World War II.”

BATTLE FOR BENEFITS
Cuaresma’s legal battle with the VA began in 2001 to establish his status as a vet­eran. That case and the ongo­ing appeal for compensation under the Re­covery Act has lasted much longer than the four years U.S. forces fought in World War II. “They are waiting for me to die,” he said. “Maybe they don’t like me to win, but I keep on try­ing.”

When the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed, the number of eligible World War II Filipino veterans was estimated to be 18,000 out of more than 200,000 who served during the war. As of Oct. 13, the VA had granted 9,334 claims for $9,000 each and 9,165 for $15,000 each, bringing the combined payouts to more than $221 million.

That’s more than the $198 million that was allocated for the Filipino Veterans Equity Compen­sation Fund, but $44 million less than what was made available after Obama approved a supple­mental appropriation of $67 mil­lion for the fund in July 2010. Should Cuaresma die before the issue is resolved, his wife, Feli­cidad, 91, would be entitled to the $15,000 as his surviving spouse if the VA acknowledges his service under Ramsey.

Cuaresma, born June 19, 1912, was inspired to fight for American troops in his homeland because he had seen how Japa­nese invaders had abused Philip­pine men and women. “It hurt my feelings, the mal­treatment of our people,” he said. After the war, he continued to live in the Philippines and worked as a livestock official for the Bu­reau of Animals. He moved to New York in 1984 to live with one of his sons. He became a U.S. citizen five years later. Luke Perry, outreach co­ordinator for the nonprofit, Filipi­no-American Veterans of Nevada, believes

Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., said in a statement that he intends to do “everything in my power to ensure these heroes receive the benefits they were promised.” “It’s unconscionable that these documented American veterans are being treated the way they are.”

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