Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada is seeking to increase the disability pensions of military veterans to help them shoulder their medical and other pressing needs.
“Ano mararating ng pensiyon na halagang P1,100 hanggang” P1,700 sa panahon ngayon? said Estrada, chairperson of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, asked.
He committed to pursuing the approval of proposed Senate Bill No. 683, which seeks to rationalize the disability pension of military veterans and their beneficiaries.
The current pension rates, he said, are no longer realistic. “They have been made negligible given the rising cost of daily expenses,” he said.
The senator said it is the intention of this measure to support our veterans by increasing the disability pension.
This measure covers medical and hospitalization expenses, the economic and social ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increase in the prices of oil, food, and other consumer goods.
Under the existing provisions of RA 6948, or the Act Standardizing and Upgrading the Benefits for Military Veterans and their Dependents, the pension rates for veterans who were disabled due to sickness, disease, wounds or injuries sustained in the line of duty are given a monthly disability pension that ranges from P1,000 to P1,700.
Under SBN 683, Estrada proposed that the current base rate of P1,000 given to eligible veterans be increased to P4,500 monthly while the other prescribed rates are rationalized to provide a disability pension as much as P10,000 monthly.
