GMA offers livelihood programs to families of war veterans

MANILA, Philippines – The war veterans and retirees sector, consisting of over five million World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans and AFP retirees, their spouses and widows, sons, daughters and grandchildren, are special beneficiaries of government benefits and livelihood programs.

This was announced by Assistant Secretary for Veterans Affairs Jesus Terry Adevoso of the Office of External Affairs, Office of the President, Malacañang before a mixed audience of Region 2 veterans and descendants in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan Valley recently.

He said that for the WW2 veterans themselves, President Arroyo had lobbied quite effectively in the US government and Congress for the passage of the equity bill into law. If this is passed by the US Congress, he averred, monthly US veterans pensions amounting to $300-$375 can be received in 2009 by living WW2 veterans residing in the Philippines even if they are not US citizens.

At the same time, he said that the President had proposed and the Philippine Congress had approved consistently higher annual government budgets for pensions and benefits for all veterans and retirees over the past seven years. Adevoso also reminded his audience that Mrs. Arroyo is the only President to tackle head-on the problem of settling decades-old government arrears in pension payments to veterans and retirees, resulting in partial payoffs annually, since 2006, with full payment expected to be accomplished by the end of 2008 or by mid-2009 as a result of increased tax collections.

“Not content with helping veterans and retirees improve their lot,” Adevoso remarked, “the President has extended the availability of beneficial government programs to veterans’ children and grandchildren.”

He revealed that the government had allowed war veterans’ descendants to access the microfinance lending program of the government for their entrepreneurial micro, small and medium-sized business projects, both existing and proposed. Aside from this, veterans descendants interested in gaining jobs in the Philippines or abroad can also avail of scholarships in short courses for skills training in various fields as provided by regionally-based schools accredited with the TESDA. Finally, certain untenured, under-utilized, non-CARP upland agricultural and forestry land under the Philippine Forest Corp. of the DENR is being made available at very low annual lease rates to enterprising war veterans’ descendants who may wish to embark on careers in agriculture, livestock and tree farming.

Adevoso said that these acts show conclusively that the Arroyo administration is intent on helping the veterans sector not just through direct benefits, but also by enabling its members to learn gainful employment through their own dignified and earnest self-help efforts.

He urged descendants of veterans and retirees to take advantage of these government programs for greater livelihood opportunities.