As a member of the Filipino intelligence unit responsible for collecting and transmitting critical intelligence about Japanese positions during World War II, Salome Calderon knew that the safety of allied forces and her own well-being rested on her ability to keep a low profile.

She told no one about the work she did safeguarding intelligence reports designated for transfer to U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur's staff, or about the children left in her care when their fathers departed under cover of night to join guerrilla forces in the mountains.

No one in her town of Angono, in Rizal province, even knew that the nondescript building at the center of the municipality served as headquarters for Filipino forces working under the direction of U.S. forces in the area.

Yesterday, it was finally time for Calderon, 84, and some 140 of her fellow Filipino veterans of World War II to stand and be recognized for their efforts in helping to assure an allied victory in the Pacific Theater.

The veterans, many in their 80s and 90s, were honored at a private reception sponsored by the state House of Representatives' Filipino Caucus and First Hawaiian Bank.

The gathering at the Hale Koa Hotel was attended by Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, Philippine congressman Antonio Diaz, and other dignitaries.

The veterans each received certificates from Hawai'i's congressional delegation and the state Legislature as well as a commemorative medal.

The event was made even more poignant by the recent inclusion of long-deferred benefits payments to Filipino veterans in President Obama's stimulus package.

During World War II, the United States encouraged Filipinos to serve under U.S. command with promises that they could become U.S. citizens if they chose and receive benefits under the G.I. Bill. Some 250,000 Filipino men and women enlisted.

After the war, however, President Harry Truman signed the Rescission Act, effectively reneging on the promise of benefits.

Yesterday, Inouye recalled the embarrassment he felt, calling the decision "dishonorable" and "a shame."

"I'm saddened and embarrassed that you had to wait this long," Inouye told the assembled veterans. "But I'm proud that my country was strong enough and big enough to admit that it was wrong and to rectify that wrong. I hope you'll forgive us."

STILL KEPT WAITING

Calderon was just 17 when she joined the intelligence division but understood well the gravity of her work.

"My position was not in the field, but I was always on the battle front because intelligence work is a very delicate position, because any little mistake could put lives in danger," she said. "Because of our reports, the U.S. knew where to bomb, and that saved civilians from becoming casualties."

While Calderon said she is grateful that she and her fellow veterans are finally eligible to receive their benefits — paid in lump sums of $15,000 for U.S. citizens and $9,000 for those in the Philippines — she is dismayed that five months after the measure was approved she and many others are still waiting for their checks.

"They give us honors, honors, honors, and we're thankful," she said. "But we haven't received any money yet. It's always in our minds: 'How long shall we wait?' "

Artemio Caleda, 85, served in the 11th Infantry Regiment, part of the Filipino Organized Guerrillas, who risked their lives as an advance unit determining lines of attack.

Caleda recalled his unit's rescue of a downed U.S. pilot and their role in the capture of Japanese holdout Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita in Ifugao Province in the Philippines.

He also recalled the long, difficult months he spent fighting in the jungles of the northern provinces, his comrades stricken with malaria and dysentery, all suffering from a lack of food and medicine.

"We did it not for the benefits that were promised to us, but to defend our country," he said. "It was the U.S. and multinational presence that made us a target, but it was up to us to defend our freedom and democracy."

Caleda, who spent years lobbying for benefits, said he has one battle left to fight. While the lump-sum payments are important, he said passage of the federal Family Reunification Act, set for hearing on July 25, will be even more meaningful.

"If we can bring our sons and daughters to the U.S. and have our grandchildren be born U.S. citizens, that will be an eternal benefit," he said.