THE House of Representatives on Tuesday night approved on second reading a bill seeking to increase the monthly disability pension of veterans and their beneficiaries, a measure which the Senate has already approved on third and final reading.
Lawmakers approved House Bill No. 7939, which seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) No. 6948, titled, An Act standardizing and upgrading the benefits for military veterans and their dependents, as amended.
Under the bill, P1,000 monthly disability base rate will be increased to P4,500 while those presently receiving P1,700 a month, which is the highest disability rate, will get P10,000.
The current monthly disability pension amount only ranges from P1,000 to P1,700.
The bill provides for a monthly pension worth P1,700 for veterans without a service-connected disability upon reaching the age of 70.
It will also increase the monthly pension being received by a veteran’s spouse and unmarried minor children from P500 to P1,000.
The measure, which was authored by 260 House members, is expected to benefit a total of 4,386 veterans. It will be submitted for third and final reading approval next week.
Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman (1st district), the bill’s sponsor, said the annual budgetary requirement will amount to around P423 million. It will be charged against the Pension and Gratuity Fund (PGF) under the annual General Appropriations Act.
