The site of a planned Veterans Affairs center is located at the Medical Arts Center in Dededo.
Photo by David Castro/The Guam Daily Post
HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — If the Trump administration plans to shutter the Veterans Affairs regional office in Manila, then Philippines, then Guam Delegate James Moylan wants it to be moved to Guam instead.
Moylan issued a statement Monday to clarify his plan for a VA regional office in Guam.
“With the current authorization for the Manila regional office nearing expiration, I took proactive steps and formally recommended Guam as a viable location before any decisions are made to move it farther from both the Philippines and Guam without regional input,” he stated.
“We’ve all heard by now that the White House is promoting an America first agenda. If the authority for the Manila regional office is expiring and there has been no submission to renew its authority, then why not move it to the closest American soil?” Moylan said
According to Moylan, his proposal is not about reducing support for veterans in the Philippines. “On the contrary, it is about strengthening services and expanding access for all veterans throughout the region.”
“Guam is strategically positioned and already serves other outlying areas such as the (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Freely Associated States). Our island is poised to be the central hub for federal services in the Pacific, offering a more accessible and responsive option for veterans in the region,” Moylan added.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Manila Regional Office and Outpatient Clinic is the only VA office located outside the United States or its territories.
According to its website, it pays out over $20 million per month in disability compensation, pension, or death benefits to more than 11,000 beneficiaries. As of fiscal year 2024, a total of 5,886 U.S. veterans were enrolled in VA Manila’s outpatient clinic.
The VA has had a presence in the Philippines since 1921 and “provides world-class health care, benefits and services to thousands of U.S. veterans living in the Philippines,” according to the site. The Philippines was an American possession from 1898 to 1946.
Moylan said he has been working closely with the House Appropriations Committee to reauthorize the Manila VA regional office for one additional fiscal year.
“This would provide the Department of Veterans Affairs with the necessary time to plan and execute the establishment of a new regional office in Guam, while continuing to serve veterans through uninterrupted operations in Manila during the transition,” he said.
He said the move would allow Guam to seek increased VA support without asking for more funding. “We are asking to have the VA use the same exact budget that the Manila regional office operated under and relocate it to Guam.”
If the Manila office closes, “all claims in our region will default to Hawaii. A move that, as Guam residents know, would create significant logistical and processing challenges,” Moylan said.
