House OKs additional burial aid for war vets

The House of Representatives has approved a measure giving an additional P10,000 for each Filipino war veteran’s burial assistance. The lower chamber on Monday passed House Bill 229, which increases the amount given to the family of a deceased war veteran from P10,000 to P20,000. The approved measure seeks to amend Republic Act 6948 or the act standardizing and upgrading the benefits for military veterans and their dependents. Bataan Rep. Herminia Roman, the bill’s author, said the passage of the measure will be “a great help" for bereaved families of Filipino war veterans. “A decent interment befitting a gentleman in uniform should be accorded to our veterans. The measure is in recognition of the heroic services of the veterans, in times of war and peace," she said in a statement Tuesday. Once the bill is signed into law, the P20,000 burial assistance shall be given to the person who covered the funeral expenses of a deceased veteran upon filing within two years from the death of the veteran. The measure covers persons who rendered military service to the country during the revolution against Spain, the Philippine-American War, World War II, the Korean Campaign, the Vietnam Campaign, and the Anti-Dissidence Campaign, among others. The bill also includes soldiers who have served the Armed Forces for six years or less, as long as he or she died in the line of duty.—JV, GMA News