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By Jefferson Antiporda, Reporter
THE Defense Department has requested more than
P500-million supplemental budget from the Department of Budget and
Management to pay for the pension of the retirees of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Upon instructions of President Gloria Arroyo,
Defense Sec. Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. has requested P542-million
additional budget to pay all outstanding old age pensions of AFP
retirees by year-end.
“We have forwarded the letter to the President
requesting a supplemental budget in order for us to answer the
deficit within the year to make our pensions current,” Teodoro
said during the fellowship meeting of the Association of Retired
General and Flag Officers (AGFO) in Camp Aguinaldo on May 7.
The Defense Chief made this move to implement
President Arroyo’s instruction to align veterans’ pension during
AGFO’s fellowship meeting last April.
The DND chief said there is a need to push for
the release of the budget to pay the retirees and avoid backlog on
their pensions.
“We have to follow that up in our budget
proposal for this year, because concomitantly for next year, there
will be a slight increase in our pension scheme within the budget
for pension,” he added.
The request for the additional budget for
pensions of retirees is part of the commitment of the DND to further
improve the delivery of services to former soldiers.
Recently, the DND has intensified its operation
against “fixers” operating in the Philippine Veterans Affairs
Office (PVAO) victimizing veterans and their families.
Teodoro issued the order after receiving
information regarding the rampant operation of unscrupulous
individuals at PVAO that take advantage of veterans and their
dependents.
The fixers, either PVAO employees or individuals
who know somebody from PVAO, are offering veterans and their
dependents services in exchange for fees.
“These criminals rob the veterans and their
dependents of what is rightfully theirs. This must not go
unpunished,” Teodoro said.
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