WAR veterans are opposing the changes being introduced by Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin into the constitution and bylaws of the Veterans Federation of the Philippines (VFP) as part of the efforts to reform the organization.
In a statement, the VFP through Col. Bonifacio de Gracia, said 182 delegates who attended the recent national presidents’ convention held in Taguig City have rejected the changes made by Gazmin “in the classification of organizations that may join the federation as an umbrella organization, membership requirements, composition of the supreme council, committees and management, including the financial system.”
“All regional presidents, district presidents, including presidents of charter and affiliate organizations of the VFP all over the Philippines, have unanimously spoken and they do not want to tinker with the current VFP constitution and bylaws at this time,” de Gracia, who is the VFP’s vice president, said on Wednesday.
“They particularly expressed disapproval of the changes in the bylaws being introduced by no less than Defense Secretary Gazmin,” he added.
Last month the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) said it would continue its efforts to reform the VFP, which, it said, was “being run by its official like a private organization,” so that it would fully cater to the needs of all the country’s veterans.
The PVAO made the statement as the VFP members contested the new constitution and bylaws that was crafted by the Department of National Defense and the PVAO last year for the VFP.
The VFP claimed the new charter infringes on the independence and direction of the organization. The new constitution and bylaws, which VFP officers helped prepare, was approved by Gazmin. It seeks to institute reforms in the federation by making it transparent.
The old charter of the VFP made it like a private corporation, where the officers had no term limits and its affairs only open to its members, only 30 percent of whom are “real” veterans and the rest “sons and daughters” of veterans.
Some of its officials, PVAO Administrator Ernesto Carolina said, have been occupying their posts for 30 years.
De Gracia said the delegates believed the amendments to the bylaws that were “proposed” by Gazmin would diminish the core function of the current setup of officers and downgrade the role of the veterans’ widows and children. He said they also fear the amendments will allow non-veterans to come in and take hold and control of all the assets of the VFP.
“The highest ruling body of the VFP has spoken at how thousands of Filipino veterans are best governed. We hope the voice of the people who fought for our freedom shall be respected,” de Gracia said.
But Carolina said they wanted to institute reforms at the VFP, purposely for all the legitimate veterans to have access to the organization.
“The VFP is supposed to have been formed or made up of veterans, and yet the majority of its members are not veterans but family members of veterans,” he said.
Carolina noted that other veteran groups like the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, where former Ambassador Manuel Yan was a member, were even excluded from membership with the VFP.
He said the purpose of the new constitution and bylaws was to widen the coverage of the VFP, by including not only 30 percent of the veterans in its affairs and membership, but all of the veterans, other than making its day-to-day affairs transparent.
Carolina said there are perks and benefits that the officers of the federation enjoy, but he refused to disclose these in details out of respect to the current officers of the VFP as they are veterans or have come from families of veterans.
The VFP has some properties under its name and it even has a percentage from the earnings of the Philippine Veterans Bank.
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