LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – World War II veterans are set to be honored on the 72nd Lingayen Gulf Landings and 10th Pangasinan Veterans Day commemoration program this January 9 at the Veterans’ Memorial Park within the Capitol Complex here.
Governor Amado “Pogi” I. Espino III will lead the wreath laying ceremony along with Dr. Vivencio Villaflor Jr., who is the guest of honor and speaker, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) Administrator Ernesto Carolina, Philippine Veterans Federation Association president Bonifacio De Gracia and Australian Embassy (AE) Counsellor Kerry Anderson.
An ASNA awardee and a son of a World War II veteran, Villaflor is currently the chairman of the Pangasinan Red Cross and the Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital.
In an interview last January 4, PVAO-Lingayen Field Office chief Romeo Madriaga expressed his gratitude to the former Governor and now Congressman Amado T. Espino Jr. of the fifth district for institutionalizing the event for the unsung heroes, and to the incumbent governor for carrying on the tradition.
“I was previously assigned to Region 3, But it is only here in Pangasinan that I have seen that support from the local government for our veterans… aside from the national government’s,” he bared.
Aside from cash incentives, the war veterans living in the province have been enjoying free medical services from the 14 provincial government-owned-and-operated hospitals.
He said that PVAO, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office and Provincial Health Office go as far as conducting house-to-house visit just to hand the cash incentives and do on-site checkups to every war veteran if they failed to come to the commemoration.
Following the ceremony, a luncheon and medical mission for the veterans will be held at Sison Auditorium. A navy ship collection exhibit donated by the Australian government will also be installed for viewing.
Madriaga said that Pangasinan and Cebu had the most number of war veterans during the World War II.
Data shows that number of veterans is dwindling day by day, from 499 in 2016 to 370 as of January 2017.
During last year’s commemoration, it could be remembered that Carolina lauded Pangasinan as the “Philippine Cradle of Heroes.”
By Dexter A. See