PNoy lauds soldiers aboard old ship in disputed shoal

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III lauded on Wednesday the country's soldiers including those who fought in World War 2 and those on board an old warship in the contested Ayungin Shoal.

Speaking at the commemoration rites of the Araw ng Kagatingan, Aquino cited the sacrifices of the nine soldiers led by First Lt. Mike Pelotera who were previously stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War 2-era American ship stranded at the Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal).

"Isipin na lang ninyo ang pambihirang sakripisyong ipinamalas ng kanilang grupo: Sa loob ng halos limang buwan, ang kanilang mundo ay uminog lamang sa karagatan. Halos wala silang komunikasyon sa kanilang mga pamilya; may mga pagkakataon pang hinaharang ang ipinapadala nating mga gamit at pagkain sa kanila," Aquino said in his speech in Bataan.

Aquino praised the soldiers for remaining committed to defend the country's territorial rights over the disputed shoal despite the hardships posed by their isolation at sea.

"Araw-gabi, sakay ng nakatirik na BRP Sierra Madre, ay nakaangkla lamang ang kanilang dedikasyon sa pagtutok at pagbabantay ng ating teritoryo. Kaya naman po, kasama ng ating mga beterano, kabilang din ang mga kawal na tulad nila sa mga kinikilala natin ngayon. Saludo po ang sambayanang Pilipino sa inyo," Aquino said.

The Philippine Navy inherited the former U.S. tank-landing ship USS Harnett County in 1976, and in 1999, it was deliberately ran aground at the Ayungin Shoal, a submerged coral outcrop that has been disputed by China and the Philippines for years.

With a hull riddled with holes and rust, the Sierra Madre is now effectively a shipwreck, an Associated Press report said, but the Philippine military has not decommissioned it.

In the Associated Press report, Pelotera said they had to battle loneliness aboard the old ship.

"There's a point where you tend to feel low," Pelotera said of the challenges of his team's four-month deployment at the reef. "But we have to kill the boredom because there is an important mission to fulfill."

"We're marines," Pelotera also told the Associated Press. "We can adapt to life anywhere."

Read: Old US ship home to Filipinos in China standoff

Veterans' benefits

Meanwhile, Aquino also lauded Filipino war veterans for emulating valor and sacrifice when they fought against the Japanese colonizers.

"Marahil nga po, kapag tinanong ng kasalukuyang henerasyon kung ano ang ibig-sabihin ng sakripisyo, ang pinakaangkop na sagot ay ang inyong halimbawa. Di po ba, kayong mga beterano ang buong-loob na sumuong sa peligro at kawalang-katiyakan, sa ngalan ng bandila?," Aquino said.

Aquino said it has been the government's duty to continuously work for the welfare of its veterans and their families to compensate for their sacrifices during World War 2.

He said in 2013, about P17 million worth of medical services was allocated for 1,092 veterans while the the Veterans Memorial Medical Center will be providing greater benefits for the retired soldiers.

The President added that the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office also spent for the education of 2,059 students last year and that qualified dependents of the veterans are now getting about P36,000 in financial aid every year.

Aquino also announced that the government is now implementing the Pensioner’s Revalidation Program, which seeks to weed out fake veterans or beneficiaries.

"Dahil sa pagsisigurong tunay na kabilang sa listahan ang bawat pangalan ng ating surviving pensioners, sa pagpasok ng taong ito ay tuluyan nang naipatigil ang pagbibigay-benepisyo sa 22,534 na accounts, habang 14,616 accounts naman ang nasuspinde," Aquino said.

This resulted to the return of pension remittances worth P396.61 million, the President said. And last March, the number of legitimate veterans and their married partners who received services reached 133,784.