House panel oks bill hiking monthly pension of veterans

The House committee on veterans' affairs has recently endorsed for approval a bill increasing the old-age pension of veterans to enable these veterans and their families cope with the rising cost of living.

The approved bill, a consolidated version of four other bills, will amend Republic Act 6948, as amended by RA 7696, or the law that upgrade the benefits of military veterans and their dependents.

The four bills consolidated are House Bill 75 of Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar (Cebu City North District), HB 2716 of Representative Catalino Figueroa (Samar, 2nd District), HB 3845 of Rep. Tomas Dumpit Sr. (La Union, 2nd District), and HB 4137 of Rep. Benjamin Agarao Jr. (Laguna, 4th District).

Under the consolidated bill, all veterans -at least 65 years old and eligible to receive the old-age pension- shall be entitled to an increase of P1,000 in monthly old-age pension starting on January 1 of the year after its enactment.

The bill also provides that the monthly old-age pension shall also be increased by P1,000 every year for the next five years.

Veterans Federation party-list Rep. Ernesto Gidaya presided over the recent meeting of the House committee that endorsed the consolidated bill.

Retired general Rosalino Alquiza, chairman of the Heritage Research and Development, lauded the bill endorsement but he was apprehensive over its financial sustainability considering the government's present fiscal problems.

Alquiza cited RA 7696, which provided for a P1,700 increase in the monthly total administrative disability pension for veterans who reached 70 years old, but the government has not paid a single centavo for the purpose so far.

"We might go into the same thing and again (there would be) no money to implement it," he said, suggesting instead to ask for commitment of support first from the Department of Budget and Management once the bill is enacted into law.

The present law defines veterans as people who rendered military services in land, sea or air forces of the Philippines during the revolution against Spain, the Philippine-American War and World War II.

Veterans are also those Filipinos who served in the Allied Forces in Philippine territory and those foreigners who served in Philippine forces, all during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Anti-Dissidence Campaign, or other wars and military campaigns. - Garry B. Lao