(Eagle News)– President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday (August 29) announced his approval of the release of P4.7 billion total budget for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the bulk of which is for widows of World War II veterans and the rest is the budget for retired soldiers.
“Those who are not paid by the previous administrations, actually all of them, for release is P4.7 billion for the payment for the total administrative disability (TAD) are for widows of deceased World War II veterans and AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] retirees who are 80 years old and above,” Duterte said in his speech for National Heroes Day at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
According to the President, P3.5B are dedicated for the widows and P1.2B for the military retirees.
“It will be released as soon as possible,” the President said.
The grant was included in the 2016 budget, but the release was halted due to election ban.
“Okay na iyan noong time ni President [Benigno] Aquino [III] pero hindi nila na-release. Siguro naabutan sila – kasi alam mo naman kapag may eleksyon, may ban,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
