The newly-inducted members of the Multi-Sector Governance
Council (MSGC) have vowed to support the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office
(PVAO) in advancing its advocacy to improve the welfare of the country’s
veterans, as embodied in its Kagitingan Roadmap 2022 Strategic Plan.
The MSGC members were formally inducted by Department of
National Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin at the EDSA People Power Lounge of
the DND Building ,
Camp Aguinaldo ,
Quezon City
They were identified as retired MGen. Jose P. Magno, chairman
of the CITRA Metro Manila Railways, who was voted as chairperson; Prof. Ma.
Bernadette L. Abrera, chairperson of the Department of History at University of
the Philippines-Diliman; Magdalo Party- list Rep. Ashley Acedillo; retired
Philippine Navy Admiral Vicente M. Agdamag, Deputy National Security Adviser of
the National Security Council Secretariat; Dr. Fermin R. De Leon, president of the National Defense
College of the Philippines; Gov. Albert S. Garcia of the province of Bataan;
former Senator and National Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado; former Internal
Revenue and Customs Commissioner Guillermo L. Parayno Jr., vice chairman of the
Philippine Veterans Bank; retired Police Director Gen. Umberto A. Rodriguez,
president of the Filipino War Veterans Foundation Inc. (FILVETS); and Rep.
Herminia P. Roman, chairperson of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and
Welfare.
The other two members who were not able to attend the event
are journalist Jarius Bondoc and Dr. Francisco T. Duque III, former Secretary
of the Department of Health and Chairman of the Civil Service Commission.
Undersecretary Ernesto G. Carolina, incumbent PVAO
Administrator, was also included in the Council and was voted as vice
chairperson. He vowed to uphold the ideals of good governance as embodied in
the Performance Governance System and to share their time and expertise in
helping PVAO foster a strong and unified Filipino Veterans Community serving as
reliable partner in nation-building.
They also pledged to promote the value of kagitingan by
championing the Kagitingan Roadmap 2022 within their respective sectors, and to
involve other sectors of society by helping PVAO forge and nurture partnerships
in serving the veterans, the future veterans, and the country.
“The challenge of governance, when the stakes are as high as
the welfare of the veterans who had risked and sometimes lost their life and
limb, and as far reaching as the preparation of our youth as this country’s
future defenders, has compelled us to seek your advice and guidance in helping
us pursue our vision of a strong and unified Filipino Veterans Community that
is reliable in nation-building,” Carolina said.
Meanwhile, Gazmin lauded PVAO for its early gains in the
implementation of reforms.
“In the preceding five years, we saw the vigorous effort of
PVAO in the institution of measures to genuinely serve the interest of our
veterans. Among many others, PVAO has cleansed the veterans’ list of pseudo
claimants, thereby generating savings," he added.
PVAO also has engaged in an anti-fraud and in an
anti-corruption campaign and instituted full proof measures to rid the agency
of fixers, fraudulent claimants, and corrupt employees.
It has strengthened the Veterans Federation of the Philippines
"It is also commendable that PVAO has been a recipient
of ISO Certification 9001:2008 from third party certifying bodies for sustained
reduction of adjudication time for pension claims and processing time for
delivery of pensions,” Gazmin added.
After the induction ceremony, the MSGC held its first
organizational meeting.
Retired Philippine Marines Col. Omar Tonsay, chief of PVAO
Planning and Management Division, gave a briefing on Kagitingan Roadmap 2022
and how PVAO hopes to implement the same through the virtue of kagitingan.
The Kagitingan Roadmap reflects PVAO goals to transform the
veterans from being merely dependent clients to empowered partners; to
transform veterans’ organizations from being self-centered, factionalized and
marginalized to being united and empowered; to transform underutilized veterans
assets and properties to being optimized and the benefits derived from them
equitably shared; to transform shrines and memorials to instruments that
instill national pride and patriotism; to make commemorative events pervasive
and community-based; to rationalize pensions and benefits structure, and to
ensure veterans’ overall welfare and well-being.
With the Roadmap, PVAO envisions a strong and unified
Filipino veterans community serving as a reliable partner in nation-building.
It will guide PVAO to better fulfill its mandate, leading to
the path where the ideals of kagitingan are exemplified in order to bring back
kagitingan, or love for country, in its deserved place in the nation’s value
system.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=812115
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