BAGUIO CITY – The city council approved on second reading and for posting a proposed ordinance institutionalizing the Baguio Veterans Assistance Fund and providing its implementing guidelines.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Betty Lourdes F. Tabanda cited the grant of the Veterans Assistance Fund shall be extended to the beneficiaries of the deceased veteran and of the deceased legitimate spouse of the veteran who are bonafide residents of the city subject to the prescribed guidelines.
Under the guidelines to implement the ordinance, the assistance shall be given to individual or families who are certified beneficiaries of the deceased veteran and of the deceased legitimate spouse who are bonafide residents of the city; the amount of the grant shall be P10,000 for the death of a veteran and P5,000 for the death of the legitimate spouse of the veteran.
In order to qualify for the said assistance, the ordinance stated that the beneficiaries must satisfy requirements such as certified true copy of death certificate of the veteran or of the legitimate spouse, certification from the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) stating that the deceased veteran is a member of the PVAO, marriage contract of the spouse, barangay certification attesting that the deceased was a resident of the barangay in the city and certificate of eligibility from the city social welfare and development office.
The ordinance mandates that the Veterans Assistance Fund shall be established under the city social welfare and development office and that the annual budget for the same shall be included in the department’s budget which office shall receive, review and process the application for such grant.
Furthermore, the ordinance cited the assistance shall be extended directly to the surviving legal spouse or to the nearest kin of the deceased veteran or of the deceased legitimate spouse.
The city social welfare and development office was tasked to keep a record of the assistance extended and shall prepare a quarterly report to be submitted to the concerned offices, including the PVAO.
The said proposal will also be forwarded to the PVAO for their suggestions and recommendations in order to further improve the mode of granting the additional benefits to the deserving veterans and their spouses in the future.
The proposed ordinance will be brought back to the council for further deliberations after the compliance thereto relative to the posting period so that further amendments could be introduced in order to improve the provisions of the local legislative measure that will be implemented the soonest.
By Dexter A. See
