Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana supports increase of veteran’s pension to P20K

BALANGA CITY, Philippines — President Duterte has the welfare of World War II veterans at heart and will fully support them, said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Friday.

He is confident that Duterte would approve into law the bill, pending at the Senate and the House of Representatives, that seeks to increase the pension of war veterans from its current P5,000 to P20,000 per month.

“This (P5,000) has a very small value nowadays. We will increase this so our veterans would not have a hard time,” said Lorenzana, who was the guest of honor in the Parangal sa mga Beterano held here as part of the observance of the 76th year of Araw ng Kagitingan tomorrow. 

He pointed out that the veteran’s monthly pension was first given by former president Corazon Aquino and has diminished in value over the years.

“Once Congress approves this, I know that the President will sign it. He knows how to take care of our veterans and soldiers,” he added.

Lorenzana said Duterte has released an amount to buy some equipment for the Veterans Memorial Center in Quezon City. He also plans to talk to Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on the possibility of having veteran’s wards in the country’s district and provincial hospitals.

Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman announced that she has filed a bill in Congress that seeks to raise the monthly pension of WWII and Korean war veterans from P5,000 to P20,000.

A counterpart bill was filed in the Senate by Sen. Gregorio Honasan, she added. 

Bataan Gov. Albert Garcia lauded the veterans as he cited the province’s tribute to the heroes through the transformation of Mount Samat through the Tourism Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) into a world-class shrine. Several events, including the parade of floats, will also be held tomorrow.