Pinoy WW2 vets up as heroes in California bill

By Florence F. Hibionada
Correspondent

The honor and bravery of over 200,000 Filipino soldiers who fought alongside the American troops during World War 2 may soon be officially part of California's teachings in its school curriculum.

Set for Third Reading in the California Legislature's Senate Committee on Education, Assembly Bill (AB) 15 passed through with earlier majority Assembly support of said bill sponsored by Congressman Jerome Horton.

AB 15 moves to recognize the efforts of the Filipino WW2 veterans by specifying that the State's Social Studies instruction will include the Filipino soldiers' pivotal role in winning the war.

In a Bill analysis obtained by The News Today AB 15 stated how it aims to emphasize the personal courage shown by the ordinary men and women of the Filipino forces in providing back-up to the U.S. troops.

"When the U.S. entered World War II, the Philippines was a territory of the U.S. Two hundred thousand Filipinos were drafted and fought alongside U.S. troops. These soldiers and their survivors did not enjoy the same benefits as other other soldiers and their contributions to the war effort are largely unrecognized," excerpts of the official comment in AB 15 Assembly Bill analysis went.

Specifically, AB 15 encourages instruction to include a component of personal testimony of Filipinos who were involved in WW2 in the Philippines and on the U.S. home front in oral or video format. The bill also encourages same instruction to express the reasons for participating in the war effort and requires the personal testimony which shall include comments on the aftermath of the war and the immigration of Filipinos to America.

Incidentally, records show that among the biggest migrants of California are Filipinos.

Currently, California's History and Social Science courses of study are "prescriptive in nature" with those in Grades 7 to 12 tackling instruction on the Vietnam War, the "Secret War" in Laos and the role of Southeast Asians in those wars. Without AB 15, the significant role of Filipino soldiers is deemed unrecognized since only the prescribed standards are usually taught.

Since its introduction, AB 15 got its support from the Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality and the Filipino American Educators Association.

Similar sentiments shared in various legislative bodies in the Philippines.

In the Province of Leyte, Senior Provincial Board Member Carlo Loreto authored Resolution No. 05-355 manifesting support for and encouraging commitment to the passage of AB 15. Loreto in pushing for said Resolution called to request members of the California Legislature in both the Assembly and its Senate to support and vote in favor of the passage of AB 15. Said Senior Leyte Board Member further initiated similar legislative action in other provinces throughout the Philippines.

The Province of Iloilo followed suit in a move made by Vice Governor Roberto Armada. In a privilege speech, Armada rallied for his colleagues' support with same resolution of support to AB 15 that easily passed and was approved unanimously.

Majority Floor Leader, Board Member Rodolfo Cabado called their action "most appropriate."

"We take pride in our soldiers, our World War 2 veterans. We remember to this day Mess Sgt. Jose Calugas, an Ilonggo who hails from the town of Leon. A World War 2 soldier, he got the highest military award given then by the United States - the Congressional Medal of Honor," Cabado said in a TNT interview.

Calugas was an army cook who bravely took over a canon when Japanese troops invaded the Corregidor Island in Bataan and single-handedly fought and killed a number of Japanese.

TNT also learned of yet another expression of support from the Iloilo City Council through the efforts of Councilor Erlinda Liberiaga, Chairperson of the Committee on Veterans, Retirees, Elderly and Disabled Persons.

Iloilo Province is home to some 15,000 WWII veterans while about 300 are known to remain in the city.