ILOILO CITY (PIA) — The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) has partnered with Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) to provide agricultural and fisheries training programs to enhance the livelihood opportunities of Filipino veterans, their spouses and dependents.
PVAO Iloilo office-in-charge Glen Castañares said PVAO and ATI have recently signed a memorandum of agreement for the agricultural training programs for veterans and their families designed to equip them with essential knowledge and skills to help them establish sustainable livelihoods.
“We are looking forward to partnering with the Agricultural Training Institute of the Department of Agriculture for these training programs for our veterans to supplement their pensions,” Castañares said.
Currently, he said the PVAO Central Office is finalizing the guidelines for the implementation of the program in all regions of the country.
“When the guideline is out, we will see to it that the program will be accessible to every veteran and their family who are interested to avail of this opportunity,” said Castañares.
The training is just one of the many benefits and programs managed by PVAO to support the Filipino veterans who are those who rendered military service during World War II, Korean war and in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
These programs include old-age pensions, disability pension, death pension, educational benefit, burial assistance and hospitalization and medical care programs.
“We are continuously working to improve and expand the benefits and privileges of our veterans and their dependents to address their needs,” said Castañares.
In Guimaras and Panay Islands, there are around 6,500 pensioners and nine of them are living World War II veterans based on the active pension database of the agency, as of January this year.
As the country celebrates the Philippine Veterans Week from April 5 to 11, Castañares reminded everyone of the sacrifices made by these brave men and women to protect and preserve our freedom.
This year’s observance carrying the theme “Kabayanihan ng beterano: Sandigan ng kaunlaran ng Bagong Pilipinas,” underscores PVAO’s vision of a strong and unified Filipino Veterans Community serving as a reliable partner in nation building. (AAL/LAF/PIA6-Iloilo)
