PVAO pushes for Filvets’ benefits thru ATMs

MANILA, Philippines - Seeing the hardship of Filipino World War II veterans in applying for their long-awaited US benefits, the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office is pushing to have the cash money coursed through their ATM accounts. Defense Undersecretary for Veterans Affairs Ernesto Carolina said they are in talks with the Philippine Central Bank for the highly anticipated US benefits to be coursed through local banks. Carolina said if the plan pushes through, Filipino veterans whose applications have been approved will be withdrawing the money from six servicing banks namely: Veterans Bank, Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines, United Coconut Planter’s Bank, Maybank and the Asian United Bank. Filipino veterans who have accounts in AFPSLAI (Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loan Association Inc.) and AWMSLAI (Air Materiel Wing Savings and Loan Association, Inc.) could also get their benefits there. According to Carolina the cash benefits in dollars will be converted to Philippine peso tax-free, based on the existing exchange rate upon the release of the money. PVAO has some 230,000 pensioners, including 60,000 who are considered World War II veterans. Of the 60,000 World War II pensioners of PVAO, only 18,000 are considered eligible to receive the US grant, including 6,000 who are living in the US. Since Feb. 19 a total of 2,000 Filipino war veterans have trooped to the PVAO office in Camp Aguinaldo to file their application for the US benefits. PVAO began processing the application of Filipino World War II veterans eligible for the $15,000 (for US citizens) and $9,000 (for enlisted Filipinos) US benefits package shortly after US President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 tucked inside the mammoth US stimulus bill. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the PVAO to set up temporary processing centers in provinces with large populations of World War II veterans. The filing of applications will run from Feb. 19, 2009 to Feb. 17, 2010, Carolina said. But the start of handing out the cash benefits has yet to be scheduled. - GMANews.TV