300% increase in veterans’ pension sought
LINGAYEN— Pangasinan war veterans may yet enjoy substantial increase in their benefits if the proposal of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office is finally adopted by Congress.
A total of P1.8 billion annual budget is being sought to provide additional benefit to the around12,000 living World War II veterans in the country.
According to PVAO administrator, Undersecretary Ernesto Carolina, the proposal to increase the monthly pension of the WWII veterans by 300% or from P5,000 to P20,000 has already passed the Congress’s Committees on Veterans Affairs and Appropriations and it is now before the Senate.
The update was provided by Mr. Carolina in an interview after he delivered his speech as guest speaker during the 71st Anniversary of the Lingayen Gulf Landings and 9th Pangasinan Veterans’ Day on January 9 held at the Veterans Memorial Park, Capitol Complex, Lingayen.
“Through the years the P1.8 billion will be decreased as the World War II veterans are dying at an average of 300 to 350 veterans per month,” he added, noting after the WW11, there were 360,000 veterans.
He also announced that 2016 budget included an P3.5 billion appropriation to provide a P1,700 monthly disability pension to the more than 20,000 war veterans’ surviving spouses.
Meanwhile, the PVAO head thanked the provincial government, led by Governor Amado Espino Jr., in partnering with it to honor the heroic deeds of the veterans and in “molding the younger generation to be future defenders of the nation.”
He hailed the province’s move in declaring January 9 of every year as Pangasinan Veterans Day, in providing facilities in the PVAO field office as he pointed out that Pangasinan can be considered as the Philippine cradle of heroes since it has the most number of veterans across the country.
Mr. Carolina also recalled the vital role that Lingayen played “not only in Philippine World History but in the whole World War 2 History.” He said there would’ve been no battle to liberate Manila if there was no landing at Lingayen Gulf.
For his part, Mr. Espino told the public to continue the fight of the veterans through meaningful advocacies.
“Let us protect the environment and fight poverty and crimes as illegal drugs,” he said. (Johanne Macob)
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