BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office Field Service Office-Cordillera (PVAO-CAR) is implementing a whole-of nation approach in bringing in its services and in catering to the needs of veterans in the different parts of the region.
PVAO-CAR Head Cherrylyn Sabling, in the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas media forum on August 20, shared that a PVAO help desk is being established in all local liberation celebrations and in Veterans Federation of the Philippines Cordillera Chapter meetings.
The PVAO-CAR has also oriented Armed Forces of the Philippines retirees in the provinces of Kalinga and Apayao, who will serve as volunteer contact persons in accommodating or entertaining PVAO concerns in the areas.
Sabling also reported that the PVAO-CAR is also set to establish a field service office annex and is scouting another AFP retiree volunteer in Mountain Province to bring PVAO services closer to their clients in the province. For the health concerns of living veterans and surviving spouses of veterans, Sabling shared that the PVAO is also pushing for the establishment of a Veterans Memorial Medical Center annex, in partnership with the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center.
Sabling reported the PVAO-CAR is catering to 3,373 pensioners that include 24 World War II veterans, 467 WWII surviving spouses, 919 post-war veterans, 1,040 surviving spouses, 800 death pension and 123 disability pension. He shared that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 11958 on August 24, 2023, a law that rationalizes the disability pension of veterans, their spouses and each unmarried minor children.
The PVAO also provides non-pension benefit to their clients, which include educational assistance, burial assistance, veterans hospitalization and medical care program and veterans preference.
Sabling called on the whole community, not just the war veterans and their families, to join the annual local liberation celebrations so that the younger generations will know the story of heroism and sacrifices of our war veterans to inspire and spark their patriotism and love for our country.
The Bagong Pilipinas Kapihan Media Forum was hosted by the Office of Civil Defense-Cordillera with Regional Director Albert Mogol as co-panelist. Mogol and Sabling joined other officials from the Department of National Defense and its attached agencies in a simultaneous media forum to report their accomplishments and priority programs under the Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance of Pres. Marcos. (CCD, PIA-CAR)
