Let me just make a short shoutout for Filipino war veterans. My grandfather was a veteran of the second world war and when I was growing up, we used to hunt down news together about anything related to war vets' affairs. My grandfather passed away a couple of years ago, but I'm still here hunting down news. He would have liked this particular story that came out in the Inquirer today:
The report continued:
The United States Senate veterans committee on Thursday approved a bill that would provide a special set of benefits for Filipino World War II veterans as well as others who had fought under the US flag.
Philippine Ambassador to Washington Willy Gaa said in a statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs that Senate Bill No. 1315, or the Omnibus Benefits Bill, was approved in a special hearing conducted by the committee at the Dirksen Building on Capitol Hill.
The report continued:
The US Senate version of the bill provides for a minimum annual pension of $3,600 for a Filipino World War II veteran living alone and without dependents. The amount varies if he is married, with dependents or the beneficiary is a veteran’s widow.
The bill also increases the life insurance benefits of all disabled veterans and improves the benefits of soldiers with severe burns or traumatic injuries -- like those suffered by servicemen who served in Iraq.
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