By Joseph G. Lariosa

CHICAGO - "Next year again." This tired slogan of the dying veterans living in the Philippines will again be creeping back to their senses as the benefits that were dangled before their very eyes by the U.S. Senate last April are slowly slipping away.

Chris Walker, press spokesman of Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), told this reporter in a terse email that, "It doesn't look likely that a conference committee will be convened."

A formation of a conference committee is the first step needed to pass the Senate Bill 1315, the Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007, now that it already hurdled both chambers with veto-proof votes before it is returned to both chambers for final approval. Afterwards, it is sent to the President for his signature.

Senator Burr was instrumental in blocking the motion of Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) on the Senate floor last Sept. 23 for the Senate and House to form a conference committee on S. 1315. This bill that provides grants for benefits to Filipino veterans living in the Philippines has stalled and is pending ever since.

In his exchange with Mr. Burr on the Senate floor, Mr. Akaka said, "I am disappointed and somewhat surprised that objection has been raised on this motion. ... The intent of this motion is to create a mechanism by which there might be further action on this very important veterans legislation before the Congress goes into recess."

Akaka added, "If we are not able to do so, I intend to renew my efforts in the next Congress."

Congress was due to adjourn last Friday, Sept. 26, but the financial crisis forced it to extend its session for another week to pass a rescue plan. Members of Congress are raring to go home to their respective districts as they campaign for their own re-election on Nov. 4th.

The crisis was the reason Senator Burr was opposing passage of the benefits for the Filipino veterans, saying, "It disturbs me that we are on the floor of the Senate once again talking about the benefit at a time when we are talking about a financial crisis.

"It is also my understanding that the House continuing resolution will have $200-million that goes to the benefits of Filipino veterans with money that has been pulled from somewhere yet unknown."

Earlier, a delegation of the American Coalition of Filipino Veterans got assurance from the staff of Senator Burr that Mr. Burr will no longer oppose the benefits for the Filipino veterans. The email sent to this reporter by Mr. Burr's press spokesman, however, contradicted Burr's staff assurance not to block S. 1315.

When the Senate passed S. 1315 last April, it included an annual flat rate of $ 3,600 annual nonservice disability pension for a single Filipino veteran; $ 4,500 for a married veteran, and $2,400 for a surviving spouse, and who are all living in the Philippines. When this bill was passed by the House, the benefits for the Filipino veterans were eliminated and were included in a separate stand-alone H.R. 6897 under a reduced lump sum $9,000 for those veterans who are not U.S. citizens and $15,000 for those who are U.S. citizens, which was passed on a veto-proof 392-23 vote.

If H.R. 6897, the Filipino Veterans Equity Act 2008, cannot be reconciled with S. 1315 or if it will not be passed by the Senate this year, the bill dies. There are an estimated 18,000 veterans living in the Philippines while about 7,000 are living in the United States who could benefit from this measure.

Every year since the last 15 years, supporters of the Filipino veterans have been campaigning for the passage of the Filipino Veterans Equity bill.

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