|
AS part of its continuous effort to improve services
for the country’s war veterans, the Department of National Defense
has intensified its crackdown against fixers operating in the
Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) who victimize war veterans
and their families.
“These criminals rob the
veterans and their dependents of what are rightfully theirs. This
must not go unpunished” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said.
Teodoro issued the crackdown
directive after receiving information about the rampant operation of
unscrupulous individuals at the PVAO who take advantage of veterans
and their dependents.
The fixers, who are either PVAO
employees or individuals connected with people in the agency, offer
veterans and their dependents the speedy claiming of their
benefits in exchange for under-the-table money.
The Defense department on March
25 arrested Oscar Carlos, assigned at the PVAO Legal Division, in an
entrapment operation.
Carlos’ arrest was based on the
complaint of Master Sgt. Avelino Andres, who claimed that the former
demanded a 30-percent commission for the fast processing of
documents and release of pension.
The suspect was arrested in the
act of accepting P7,000 from Andres in an entrapment operation.
Teodoro at the same time formed a
PVAO team headed by Director Nostradamus Villanueva to monitor and
go after unscrupulous PVAO personnel and fixers.
“Our campaign to cleanse PVAO
and the entire Armed Forces of fixers is comprehensive. All
mechanisms are in place, so it is just a matter of time before we
nail down the next fraud,” Teodoro added.
--Jefferson Antiporda
|
