By: Ma. Cristina C. Arayata
MANILA, April 8 (PNA) — Tomorrow, April 9, was already marked in our calendars. It’s holiday, hooray! So, it’s hashtagWalangPasok for most Filipinos.
There’s EO 203, Series of 1987, declaring April 9 of every year as a national holiday in observance of Araw ng Kagitingan, or Day of Valor. It is a day to honor and commemorate the selfless sacrifices of our heroes – the Filipino War veterans who died serving the country.
Beyond declaring it a holiday, it is an opportunity for Filipinos to remember and honor our veterans, and show gratitude for their contributions in fighting for national security.
The government has lined up week-long activities (from April 5 to April 11). Proclamation No. 466, Series of 1989 declared April 5-11 as Philippine Veterans Week in order to level up patriotism in the country and encourage youth to realize this better.
Among this year’s activities include a Nationwide Creative Painting Contest; Nationwide Essay Writing Contest; Parada ng Kagitingan (Foot Parade); “Parangal sa mga Bayani” (Parade); Tagisan Diwang Bataan – History Quiz Bee; Photo Exhibit; Health Fair: Medical and Surgical Mission; VMMC (Veterans Memorial Medical Center) Patients Day; Oratorical Contest (for Highschool and College Levels); Bataan Legacy in Manila multimedia presentation; and Bataan Freedom Run.
We inherit some traits from our parents. “Yung pagiging maputi, matangkad, etc. maaring mamana. Pero ang pagmamahal sa bayan, sa heroism, pagmamahal di lang sa pamilya kung hindi sa bayan natin, hindi,”Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) Public Information Officer Maria Juanita Fajardo-Rivera told PNA. She added that it is important for them since they are serving the veterans.
She said that commemorating the Day of Valor might be our strongest declaration of our appreciation to our veterans – who are all part of the history, who sacrificed for the democracy.
In fairness to today’s youth, many of them appreciate the importance of our heroes and our heritage, based on the observation of Ludivico Badoy, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Executive Director III in an interview with PNA.
“I think many of them appreciate the importance of our heroes,” he said, and gave as an example the growing number of visitors to the National Museum. He added, “Many are also writing about national structures, because they want it to be preserved. They want to know who we are and where we came from.”
Meanwhile, some people think that veterans (or their families) are rich because they are pensioners. Some do not realize that veterans who fought need help, too.
First, they appeal to the Congress to augment our legislative agenda. Veterans hope for an increase in their pension since they are only receiving Php 5,000 as pension since 2000. Of course, we all know that prices of commodities keep on increasing, and thus our veterans need a more adequate amount to support their needs. As of March 2015, PVAO has a total of 186,396 active pensioners.
The Veterans’ Wish List
PVAO collected and gave a summary of the veterans’ wish list. Among these include:
— Repeal of Total Disability (TAD) pension.
PVAO says that currently, it is paying TAD benefits to just a small of World War II veterans due to inadequate funds available.
— Rationalize benefits to widows/compulsory heirs of soldiers killed in action.
— Rationalize disability pension rate
The amount of disability pension ranging from Php 1,000 to Php 1,700, remained the same since 1994. Veterans say that this is not enough to sustain their basic needs, and are proposing to increase the said pension from Php 1,700 to P10,000.
— Establish additional veterans hospital in Visayas and Mindanao.
— Reform oriented legislation.
PVAO strongly supports House Bill (HB) 5028, prescribing reasonable conditions for widows of deceased veterans and to be entitled to Old Age Pension. According to PVAO, the said bill will put a stop to “knee-jerk” marriages that are merely intended to preserve the veteran’s benefits.
Araw ng Kagitingan 2015
President Benigno Aquino III will lead the celebration on Thursday, 9:00 a.m. at Mount Samat in Bataan. He will be joined by United States Ambassador Philip Goldberg and Japanese Ambassador Kazuhide Ishikawa.
Prior to that, at 8:00 a.m, Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro will award the winners of the essay writing and painting contests.
This year’s theme says it all: “Ipunla ang Kagitingan sa Kabataan, Ihanda ang Beterano sa Kinabukasan”.
So while most of you will enjoy the holiday, we hope that you will also remember the importance of defenders of Bataan. Director Badoy noted that “it is because of them that we have the freedom that we are enjoying up to now.”
To the veterans, here’s to hoping that this article will help make their wish list get a leap towards reality. (PNA)