Bill on 300% pension hike for Filipino war veterans awaits Duterte’s signature

MANILA, Philippines — The bill that will increase the monthly pension of Filipino war veterans by 300 percent has been sent to Malacañang and is awaiting the signing of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Senator Gringo Honasan expressed high hopes that Senate Bill No. 1766, or An Act Increasing the Monthly Old-Age Pension of Senior Veterans, the President would sign it into law.

“We believe that the President will sign it into law. Tuwang tuwa din ako dahil I’ll be riding off into the sunset next year,” a statement from the Senate quoted Honasan, who authored and sponsored the proposal.

Eligible to receive the P15,000 increase to the current P5,000 monthly old-age pension are the living senior veterans of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War.

Those who have not been receiving pension from from the Armed Forces of the Philippines will also be entitled to the P20,000 proposed pension.

The additional pension, however, is non-transferable to any of the veteran’s relatives or dependents. In the event of the senior veteran’s death, the pension of the surviving spouse remains at P5,000.

“The challenge is to institutionalize this to the point that it’s almost engraved in the stone, that whoever is the president, whoever sits in Congress, will make sure that our veterans will live forever in the memory of this nation,” Honasan said.

The Senate ad the House of Representatives ratified  the bill last November 13. /muf