Gov’t owes war veterans P23.2-B — Recto

The government owes war veterans P23.219 billion in benefits.

Sixty years ago, they faced the Japanese onslaught in Bataan and Corregidor, but the government does not have funds to process applications for age-old pensions of 43,543 of these brave soldiers.

Sen. Ralph Recto said in a statement yesterday the biggest chunk of unpaid debts to the veterans is the almost P15 billion in benefits which the government failed to allocate in this year’s national budget.

"Of this amount, P12.344 billion represents claims for total administrative disability, P154 million for death pension, P2.472 billion for old-age pension, and P20 million for educational benefits for the college schooling of one dependent of a veteran," he said.

Recto said the government has also been unable to fully fund P3.517 billion in health benefits and medical care for veterans as mandated under the law.

"Included in this amount is the P179 million due the Veterans Memorial Medical Center," he said. "The unavailability of the funds hinders the processing of 43,543 applications for old-age pensions. But once approved these claims would cost the government P2.612 billion annually."

Recto said the P2.1 billion will also be appropriated annually once the 35,000 applications for "military veterans status" to the military service board under Republic Act 8444 is approved.

"Time is not on the side of aging veterans as they fight the battle against red tape," he said in the statement. "That is the fate of the greatest generation. Their comrades died waiting for ammo. And they who survived now die waiting for pension."

Recto said the government should pay "whatever money available" to the veterans "like the brave Huks" who have 1,696 pending applications with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO). – Aurea Calica