Marcos seeks fixing of pension system for war veterans

MANILA, Philippines — The government wants to fix the pension system of war veterans to increase the benefits given to them, President Marcos said yesterday.

Speaking to reporters after the Araw ng Kagitingan rites in Bataan, Marcos said the pension system of veterans won’t be sustainable if it is not fixed.

“We are looking at ways to strengthen the system of giving pensions to our veterans. Because if we do not fix the present system, it won’t last long because we allocate huge amounts for the pension,” the President said in Filipino.

Marcos noted that some soldiers retire before the mandatory retirement age.

“These problems will surface so what we are doing is ensure first that there is a system so that all our veterans will be able to receive the right amount of pension,” he said.

“Once we fix it, we will be able to see what else we can give, especially to World War II veterans. Because if you recall… it was only a few years ago that our veterans were recognized and were given their back pay.”

Marcos said even the bolo men guerrilla fighters would continue to receive recognition and pay from the government. Out of the 500,000 frontline fighters who survived the war, only more than 1,000 are still alive, he added.

“So we really need to help and take care of them because they gave us the beautiful gift of freedom here in the Philippines,” the Chief Executive said.

Marcos clarified that efforts to strengthen the war veterans’ pension system are not included in the reforms that his administration is pushing for retired military and uniformed personnel.

Late last month, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the administration is seeking the passage of a bill reforming the pension system of the military and other uniformed personnel to prevent a “fiscal collapse” that stems from increasing pension costs.

He noted that about P120 billion to P130 billion has been allocated for the uniformed personnel’s pension in this year’s budget.

According to Diokno, the uniformed personnel’s pension is automatically indexed to the salary of the active personnel of the same rank. This means that the pension of a retiree increases if the salary of an active personnel with the same rank increases.

For its part, Japan expressed yesterday deep remorse felt by the Japanese people due to the country’s past actions, seeking to prevent a repeat of the tragedies of war amid the increasingly severe international security environment.

In his speech at the 81st commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan at the Mount Samat National Shrine in Pilar, Bataan, Japanese Ambassador Kazuhiko Koshikawa conveyed his condolences to the victims of the fierce battle that took place in Bataan during the Second World War and offered his utmost respect to the war veterans who greatly contributed to peace and security.

He affirmed Japan’s best wishes for ever-lasting peace and determination in upholding a law-based global order.

The ambassador stated that Japan, the Philippines and the United States are now mutually trusting partners working closely to preserve peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

He added that Japan-Philippines strategic partnership continues to deepen after President Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas during Marcos’ visit to Japan last February.

Bataan heroes

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) said yesterday the heroes of Bataan death march are the reason why the Philippines remains one of the strongest democratic nations in the world.

In a message for the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor), OPAPRU Secretary Isidro Purisima said that the fall of Bataan was one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history.

“As we celebrate the Day of Valor, let us pay tribute to the great men and women throughout our history who gave up their lives for their countrymen. They are the reason why the Philippines remains to be one of the strongest democratic nations in the world,” Purisima said.

Around 76,000 Filipinos and American soldiers were captured by the Japanese forces and became prisoners of war. Many of them perished during the Bataan death march.

“This occasion reminds us of the brave souls that made the ultimate sacrifice so that one day, Filipinos will be free from the bondage of foreign invaders,” Purisima said. “History, they say, is the greatest teacher, because it opens a window to the past from which we can get a glimpse of how our forefathers built our great country from the ashes of war. By doing so, we can obtain invaluable lessons that we can apply in the present.”

It is this knowledge that guides the nation’s leaders as the country faces both internal and external threats. “We now understand that valor, by its very definition, is not enough to ensure sovereignty, peace and security in our beloved homeland,” he said.

He said that valor must go hand in hand with an earnest desire to reduce, mitigate or, if possible, prevent situations of conflict.

“This is at the heart of all our agency’s conflict-sensitive and peace promoting approaches, in everything that we do, we must do no harm,” he said. “True valor is the ability to look at other ways to manage and resolve conflict so that genuine peace can take root and flourish.”

Meanwhile, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has urged the 1.8 million government workers nationwide to always uphold the nation’s interest over their own, like the fallen heroes of the Battle of Bataan.

“Those who fought and died for our country’s freedom and liberty remind us of the values that are at the very core of our sworn duty as civil servants: patriotism, deep love and sense of gratitude for our motherland,” CSC Chairman Karlo Nograles said in a video message yesterday as the country celebrated the 81st Araw ng Kagitingan.

Traditionally held on April 9, this year’s celebration was moved to April 10 as part of the Marcos administration’s long holiday economics policy.

In his message, Nograles enjoined civil servants to “draw inspiration from the fallen heroes’ selfless acts of upholding the nation’s interest over and above their own.”

Nograles cited Jose Abad Santos, a civil servant who rose from the ranks to become the fifth Chief Justice of the Philippines, for his legacy of patriotism by refusing to disclose information to the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II despite being held captive facing execution.

He also expressed optimism that the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan can reignite government workers’ “dedication to faithfully serve the country and band together as we strive to build back better.” – Pia Lee-Brago, Jose Rodel Clapano, Elizabeth Marcelo