Surviving WW2 vets dwindling in number

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO— Many Filipino veterans of World War II have died, leaving behind 14,093 others, many of them aged 90 and above, as of March, according to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO).

The oldest veteran, 106-year-old retired Capt. Fernando Perez Javier who resides in Baguio City, said the PVAO kept track of them by requiring them to send monthly photographs of themselves holding up the day’s newspaper, similar to the “proof of life” often associated with kidnap victims.

Javier said it was an odd routine he had to follow to keep his records up to date.

The surviving freedom fighters who fought the invading Japanese forces from 1941 to 1945 served with the United States Armed Forces in the Far East and the old Philippine Scouts, the PVAO said.

Some came from the ranks of guerillas; some of them were recognized before and after the creation of the military service board.

Many veterans were among the 60,000 Filipino soldiers who were forced to join the Death March beginning on April 9, 1942, after waging the last defense of Bataan for three months.

Like many veterans, Javier said he was not happy with the bureaucracy.

He claimed that his monthly checks had stopped arriving recently. “It’s not much but it could help with the household expenses,” he told the Inquirer last week.

Javier lives at his Camdas Village home with the family of his caregivers who have served him loyally for years. He said he financed the education of a caregiver’s daughter who is now a certified midwife.

The PVAO said the surviving war veterans counted among the 178,133 people who were receiving pension benefits from the government.

Veterans who fought after World War II were members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea and the Philippine Civic Action Group.

According to the PVAO, the 178,133 beneficiaries get old-age pension of P5,000 monthly, total administrative disability pension of P1,700 monthly and death pension of P1,000 monthly or disability pension of P1,000 to P1,700 monthly.

These amount to around P11 billion yearly.

Veterans of wars and military campaigns, surviving spouses and orphans get care, benefits and aid from the government as guaranteed by Section 7 of Article 16 of the 1987 Constitution.

The PVAO said the Aquino administration had reduced the P25 billion worth of arrears in the total administrative disability (TAD) pension for 17,817 living World War II veterans from 1994 up to 2009 when it paid them P2.877 billion in 2013. This brought up the TAD payments to P6.93 billion.

Republic Act No. 7696, the amendments to RA 6968, which upgraded and standardized the benefits of military veterans and their dependents, entitles war veterans to a P1,700 monthly TAD pension when they reach 70 years old.

The government, the PVAO said, paid P27.3 million for the hospitalization of 1,563 veterans and their dependents in 2013. With a report from Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon