Meanwhile, supporters of the equity bill is pressing its lobbying activities in the House where the Committee on Veterans Affairs is expected to conduct a markup hearing on its own version of the bill in two weeks’ time.

Upon approval of the bill by the Senate committee, Philippine Ambassador Willy C. Gaa said in a statement: “Today marks a special and historic occasion in our long-standing quest for justice and equity for our brave and courageous veterans.” He thanked Sens. Inouye and Akaka for sponsoring the equity bill and working for its passage in the veterans committee.

A mark-up hearing is where the committee decides the level of funding that goes into the appropriations for the bill.

Sen. Inouye said his legislation “corrects a wrongful action committed against Filipino veterans of World War II, and provides them with fair and equitable treatment.” He added that “Filipino veterans would be officially restored to full veterans status, making them eligible for VA benefits and healthcare services that had been denied to them.”

Sen. Akaka, for his part, said the legislation “will fulfill our nation’s promises to those who served...who did their duty, and fought proudly alongside, and under the command of American forces, but then were denied their benefits promised by the same government they fought to defend."

Inouye said “What happened 61 years ago was not right; it was shameful and disgraceful. That is why for 16 years I have been persistent in my efforts to secure passage of the Filipino veterans equity provisions.

The legislation is about fairness and dignity - core American values. It is also about correcting an injustice that has stood for way too long."

Besides restoring full veterans status to Filipino veterans of World War II, the legislation will:

-Pay Filipino veterans of World War II who suffer from disabilities incurred or aggravated by military service with service-connected compensation at the full rate, regardless of where they live.

-Permit Filipino veterans of World War II and survivors residing in the United States to receive pensions and death pensions paid at the same rate and under the same conditions as U.S. veterans.

- Provide Filipino veterans of World War II residing outside of the United States a special pension and death pension paid at a lower flat rate which does not require documentation of income, assets, and medical expenses.

In explaining why the veterans in the Philippines will be paid a lower rate, Inouye said pension benefits are not paid for disabilities related to military service but to help improve the quality of life for veterans and survivors with very low incomes.

The committee vote came exactly a week after Sen. Richard Gordon visited Washington to lobby Senators Akaka and Inouye and other US legislators, some personal friends of his, to pass the equity measure. “We’ve never come this close before on the equity issue. We’re almost at the end of the tunnel. We’re on the last lap,” Gordon told the Filipino-American community.

According to official records there are 18,155 Filipino veterans still alive out of 260,143 inscribed in the US Army roster immediately after the war. The number of widows is not immediately known.

About 12,000 of these war veterans live in the Philippines and the rest reside in the United States.

In his statement, Amb. Gaa said the committee vote marked “the first time ever in history" that the important contribution of the Filipino soldiers in World War II were being officially recognized by a US legislative enactment.

Retired Maj. Gen. Delfin Lorenzana, head of the Office of Veterans Affairs at the Philippine embassy, said he was very optimistic the Filipino equity bill will become law this year.

“We won a big battle today but we have not yet won the war, so we have to stay focused," cautioned Eric Lachica, Executive Director of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans (ACFV).

But other community leaders continue to push for a higher monthly pension for veterans in the Philippines. In fact, congressional supporters in the House are pushing for a monthly pension of up to $900 to put the Filipinos on par with their American comrades. But they recognize the difficulty of passing such a measure in view of the enormous medical expenditures for US soldiers coming back from Iraq.

The National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity (NAFVE) hailed this historic vote, but said we are simultaneously continuing to push for full equity so that Filipino veterans are treated as equals to the U.S. veterans with whom they served," said Jon Melegrito, NAFVE Co-Chair.

“As passed by the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, the bill falls short of treating all the Filipino veterans equally as the U.S. veterans with whom they stood shoulder to shoulder on the field of battle."

NAFVE anticipates rapid action in the House on the Filipino Veterans Equity Act (HR. 760) under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Mike Honda (D-CA), and Darrell Issa (R-CA).

Irene Bueno, a partner in the DC-based NVG lobby group that is actively pushing for the equity bill, explains “In the Senate if something has unanimous consent, meaning there’s no opposition, they just call the bill on the floor or ask that it be passed. In the past, Senate veterans affairs bills have been such bills that go through unanimous consent.”

Bueno says they are counting on the support of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to have the bill calendared for voting on the floor.

Filner said he will push for a minimum pension of $900 for the House version of the equity bill. This was admittedly a tactic to pull the eventual pension amount closer to the $800 that US WWII veterans are receiving. If the House veterans panel succeeds during the “mark-up” and the bill is approved by the entire House of Representatives, it will fall on the conference committee to craft an acceptable compromise amount.

And there are conditions that have to be met. The Senate bill, for instance, is premised on the Philippines making good its promise to keep the P5,000 WWII veterans in the Philippines are receiving even after they get the pension from America. “That is a condition for receiving this entitlement,” explained Jon Towers, senior aide to Sen. Craig.

That would mean scrapping a law that expressly forbids veterans receiving benefits concurrently from the Philippines and any other country or organization. Senator Richard Gordon, who is traveling in the US, assured he would spearhead moves in the Philippine Senate to address this key concern of his American counterparts.

With the euphoria dying down, Lachica conceded “We have to look closely at the final language of the bill before it goes to the floor.”

“There’s no problem with our veterans in the Philippines because they will get the pension plus the $100 they’re already getting. But for those in the US, we need to know how this will impact our veterans,” he explained.

Aging WWII veterans who have become US citizens receive social security checks that could amount up to $500 a month, depending on which state the veteran is residing. It is still unclear if they can keep both their social security benefits and what Congress will eventually give them.

Sen. Inouye, in a statement, traced how the Filipinos were conscripted into the US armed forces at the outbreak of World War II at a time when the Philippines was still a US possession. He said these rights included the right to call into the service of the U.S. military those forces organized by the Commonwealth government. That occurred on July 26, 1941, by order of President Roosevelt. The Filipinos who served are entitled to full veterans’ benefits by reason of their active service with our armed forces. Hundreds were wounded and many more died in battle.