ANGELES CITY – The Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) has intensified its campaign to cleanse its lists of fraudulently beneficiaries, terminating last year the pensions of 1,729 veterans and 1,615 surviving spouses due to death and remarriage.
PVAO Administrator Ernesto Carolina said that they had suspended payment of pension to 558 veterans and 408 others who have not complied with the Pensioners’ Revalidation Program (PRP). He stressed that the PRP “is a pro-active measure to cleanse the PVAO Pensioners ‘List by purging off those who have died and in some cases, those who fraudulently assumed pensioner’s identity.”
“It has also subjected 2,036 cases for further verification and on-site investigation by its field officers. Current year budget allocations for suspended and terminated pensions are utilized by PVAO to fund newly approved claims or settle obligations to pensioners with due and demandable benefits,” added Carolina in a statement sent via e-mail.
Carolina reacted to an article in PuntoCentral Luzon last August about PVAO pensioner Bartolome Suba Pasion of Mabalacat, Pampanga. Pasion charged the PVAO of declaring him dead and stopping his pension.
He furthered that when he personally presented himself to the regional PVAO office, he was asked to prove that he is alive.
Pasion is a recognized member of the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon (HUKBALAHAP).
The PVAO said Bartolome’s Petitioners Update Form (PUF) was sent on January 2011 to his registered address at Apartment # 4, Macapagal St., Belen Homesite, Sto. Cristo, Angeles City.
The same form was returned-to-sender (RTS) by the letter carrier with handwritten notation,” RTS: DECEASED on February 28, 2011, said Carolina.
“Thus, PVAO suspended remittance of his (Pasion) to his account effective April 2010,” he added.
Pasion said he had transferred residence to nearby Mabalacat “six years ago” that’s why he did not receive the PVAO’s letter sent to his previous address here.
“Considering the circumstances, PVAO sent one of its field officers to investigate the veteran’s complaint. In the process, the veteran’s identity and legitimacy were confirmed and thus, the resumption of Pasion’s pension has been approved and will commence on October 2011,” said Carolina. He added that his pension arrearages will also be fully paid.
The PVAO appealed for “full cooperation of all its pensioners in complying with the Revalidation Program by submitting PUF every year during their birth month.
“Also, since the agency locates its pensioners using their registered home address, pensioners are enjoined to notify the PVAO in case of permanent transfer of residence or travel for six months and beyond, whether domestic or abroad,” he added.
PVAO’s revalidation, Carolina said, includes cross-checking with reliable and official sources of information such as the National Statistics Office, local civil registries, offices of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police and senior citizen affairs, among others.
Carolina said that those who have been “watchlisted” as probably deceased have to prove their living status and identity by submitting a “proof of life.”
In addition, he said, stricter measures such as conduct of fingerprint analysis and comparison of documents from 201 files have to be completed before resuming suspended claims and protect our genuine veterans and beneficiaries.
