Press Release
April 21, 2009

Opening Statement by the Chairman
Senate Committee on National Defense and Security
the 1st Public Hearing on House Bill No. 4214,

"An Act Creating The Military Service Board And Providing Funds Therefor."

The Committee on National Defense and Security joint with the Committee on Finance welcomes everyone in this morning's public hearing on House Bill No. 4214 entitled "An Act Creating The Military Service Board And Providing Funds Therefor." This proposed measure has already passed third reading in the House of Representatives and was primarily referred to this Committee on 13 April 2009.

Republic Act No. 8440 entitled "An Act Providing For the Confirmation of World War II Military Services" was enacted on December 22, 1997 and created a Military Service Board "to review applications for confirmation of military service filed by any person who claims to have performed military service in the Philippines during the period beginning December 8, 1941 and ending July 3, 1946 and to determine the validity of the claim for the purpose of confirming the military service rendered and qualifying the applicant for military veteran status." Said Board was given only three years to perform this task. Thus, on 24 January 2001, the former Military Service Board ceased its operations and per information given by the Philippine Vetarans Affairs Office (PVAO), left around 106, 965 applications unattended and unacted upon.

In 2003, realizing the need for the government to continue processing the confirmation of military services by veterans, Executive Order No. 198 was issued creating a new Military Service Board. The mandate of this new Military Service Board was "to process the existing claim-applications on file and pending for confirmation of military services in the Philippines during the period beginning December 8, 1941 and ending July 3, 1946 and to determine the validity and qualifying the applicants for the military veterans status."

This new Military Service Board ceased its operations in July 2004. Per the records of the PVAO, of the 106,965 applications turned over by the old Military Service Board to the new Board, 106,128 were disapproved by the latter. The author further points out that a subsequent review of EO 198 shows that said EO omitted several documentary evidence allowed under RA 8440 in support of the applicant's application for confirmation of military service to a World War II veteran. This may be the primary reason why the Military Service Board under EO 198 was able to deny 106,128 applications all in a period of fifteen (15) months.

It is the application of these 106,128 veterans that shall be the subject of verification and approval by this 3rd Military Service Board that is being proposed to be created. In this regard, the Committee would therefore like to be enlightened whether this would be sufficient for the enactment of a new law. It would also like to be clarified on the functions that are being proposed to be performed by this new Military Service Board. Another issue that the Committee would like to be guided on is the remuneration of the members of the Board. The Committee hopes that it will gather enough information on these and such other related matters that would support the enactment of this proposed measure.

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