Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor
Veterans Center, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Metro Manila Philippines
Founded April 9, 1952
 

  LET  JUSTICE BE DONE

The Philippine DEFENDERS OF BATAAN AND CORREGIDOR, in behalf of all Filipino Veterans who were called and ordered into the service of the Armed Forces of the United States, and served in the different USAFFE fronts in the Philippines, effective August 10, 1941 to June 30, 1946, appeal to the CONSCIENCE of the United States of America to pause, listen, and seriously consider our plight these past fifty-five (55) years that have long gone by.

We were "called and ordered into the service of the Armed Forces of the United States pursuant to the Military Order of the late President Roosevelt, dated July 26, 1941, implemented by the Secretary of War on the same day, constituting a command designated as the United States Armed Forces of the Far East, which include the Philippine Department, Forces of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, called to service of the Armed Forces of the United States for the period of the existing emergency and such other forces as may be designated to  it."

Unfortunately, in the 1946, America's conscience allowed the U.S. Congress to enact what is known as the "Recision Act of 1946" now embodied in the U.S. Code, under Section 107, Table 39, which provided that those Veterans of the Philippine Army who served as members of the U.S. Armed Forces, as ordered by President Roosevelt in 1941, would not be considered as having served as U.S. Army Officers or Enlisted Men, thus depriving us, except for those killed or wounded in action, of all right, privileges, and benefits for which we were automatically entitled to when we were mustered into the Armed Forces of the United States, under President Roosevelt's Military Order of July 26, 1941.

For more than half a century, efforts have been exerted to awaken America's Conscience to demand "Justice", not Charity or Alms, by merely RIGHTING A LONG STANDING WRONG!  For the past years, Congressmen Evans, Filner, Gilman, and Becerra were supported in the House by many of their colleagues, but were unable to muster the sufficient majority and necessary parallel efforts in the US Senate by Senators Inouye and Akaka, likewise supported by their colleagues have led the struggle to awaken their Country's Consicience, but to this date have failed, although they are gaining ground, little by little.  To these gentlemen who lead the fight to awaken their Country's Conscience, we owe our eternal gratitude and pray to God their long, often frustrating, valiant efforts will be rewarded with victory.
 

Rafael R. Estrada
National Commander