Gov't vows to end war vet's 'long fight' for benefits
The government would soon settle its obligations with the war veterans. This was assured by Department of National Defense undersecretary Ernesto Carolina during the commemoration of the 63rd Anniversary of the Liberation of Panay and Romblon yesterday.
Carolina, the affair's guest of honor, led the unveiling of a Wall of Memory for the 1, 421 casualties suffered by the guerilla freedom fighters in Panay during the Japanese occupation.
The government owes the veterans about P3 billion in Old Age Pension, and P23 billion for the Administrative Disability Pension.
Carolina, who is undersecretary for civil veterans and reserve affairs, said that the government already has the funds for the partial payment of the veteran's Administrative Disability Pension equivalent to one year's worth of benefits. They will be receiving their benefits starting next year, he said.
The government is still looking for ways to fund the arrears, which amounts to P970 million, Carolina said. There is also a pending bill in the lower house seeking to double the veteran's Old Age Pension to P10,000 on a staggered basis. It is now on the second reading in the committee level, Carolina said.
"We are actually fighting a war on two fronts-with the Philippine government for better benefits, and with the US government for equal treatment," said retired engineer and war veteran Rodolfo Lataquin, president of the 6th Military District World War II Veterans Association Inc. in his speech yesterday.
"When the Allied forces arrived this day 63 years ago, I thought the war was over," Lataquin said. But then the US Congress passed the Rescission Act of 1946 which provided that services rendered by the Philippine Commonwealth Forces were not to be considered as service in the US military for purposes of benefits.
"We fought side by side with the US forces. We were under the command of Gen. (Douglas) McArthur. It was the US military that drafted us to service. We were deprived of the justice that we fought for," Lataquin lamented.