s that touched Filipinos in US in 2003.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Percy D. Della

SACRAMENTO, California-Filipinos in the United States rode an emotional roller coaster in 2003. They laughed, they cried, they celebrated. And the news struck closer to home last year more than at any time in the past.

The following were the top news headlines, not listed in chronological order, that touched Filipinos in America in 2003, all of which appeared in the Inquirer as staff or wire reports:

President Bush finally signs legislation granting Filipino WWII veterans health benefits.

In the last month of the year, the US President signed the bill giving Filipino-American veterans of the Second World War full benefits, including long-delayed health benefits and veteran burial rights.

The Filipinos, who had been enlisted to fight the war against the Japanese in the Philippines, had been promised the same health and pension benefits as American soldiers after the war. But with anti-Asian sentiment running strong just before the Pacific War ended, President Truman signed the Rescission Act of 1946 that reneged on that promise.