EDITORIAL - Let veterans enjoy their benefits

Here’s a very valid appeal from the war veterans regarding the age for them to start receiving their benefits, something that the government should immediately take heed.

Veterans in Central Visayas have called on the government to lower the age that qualifies them the benefits – which include hospitalization and medical assistance programs – under the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.

They contend that since life expectancy in the country has dropped to 68 years old, lowering the qualification age will give them more time to enjoy their benefits. Currently, a veteran must reach 65 years old for him to start receiving PVAO benefits.

To give veterans a long period of enjoying their benefits, Rodulfo Buma-at, vice president of the Veterans Federation of the Philippines in Central Visayas, said the government should lower the qualification age from 65 to 60 years old.

While such request is legitimate, the government just cannot automatically act on it. It needs a law to approve it. Therefore, the veterans should lobby their concerns in Congress and urge lawmakers to make their appeal a top priority.

Promising to bring their concern to Congress, PVAO wants the veterans to come up with position papers because it is the law that approved the age for them to qualify as PVAO beneficiaries. This means only a legislative act can change it.

We do not see anything wrong that would delay any congressional move granting their request. But the veterans and government agencies supporting their appeal must aggressively present their case before Congress. Besides, they should make it a political issue now that the midterm elections are just around the corner.

It is our hope that the veterans, who are now in the twilight zone of their lives, could have more time enjoying their benefits. Those benefits are the results of their hard labor maintaining the country’s peace and order when they were still active in the military service.