The Rotary Balita no. 723 (June 18, 1953)

"A total of P87,000,000 has been disbursed since 1946 for educational benefits of veterans while P63,000,000 had been paid out for death or disability claims," declared General Guillermo B. Francisco, chairman of the Philippine Veterans Board. He said that the Philippine government, through the Veteran's Board, has given recognition to the service of unrecognized guerrilla veterans. It has made possible the granting to veterans and war widows of additional rating, 10% and 5%, respectively, to their ratings to their civil service examinations. It enables the veterans to borrow from any bank under a guarantee certified by the government. It also administers the educational benefits to a child of a veteran who desires to waive his rights to it. Gen. Francisco claimed that although certain privileges to veterans are given under the Filipino GI Bill of Rights such as priority to the purchase of public and agricultural lands, homesteads, the acquisition of residential projects, recommendation for employment to government and private firms and free hospitalization in government hospital all these rights and privileges seem to be only a mockery because only a few enjoy them due to the faulty operation of the law. He stated further that another problem besets the veterans. This, he continued, is the indifference and lukewarm attitude of government offices and private firms to the plight of jobseekers with "guerrilla" background. Most government hospitals, he added, give a curt "no vacancy" to application for free hospitalization by veterans and their heirs. He disclosed that there are about 758 veterans actually hospitalized under the Rogers Act and that the veterans board has 34 contract hospitals and clinics strategically located all over the Islands to take care of veterans' needs. Francisco appealed to all the people to give the veterans a break by giving employment to the disabled, scholarship to the children of indigent veterans and any of help to boost their morale.