Transcript of Speech of 

HONORABLE GILBERTO C. TEODORO, JR.

Secretary of National Defense

35th Anniversary of the Philippines Veterans Affairs Office  

PVAO Compound, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City 

September 21, 2007,10:00 A.M.

 

Today, I wish to preface my speech with a note of thanks, as Undersecretary Carolina has said, we made our first policy speech before the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC) last night. That speech was a product of collective labors of each and every one - of our undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, your directors down to your division chiefs. If it was a success, it was due to our teamwork and collective effort. So I thank you all.  

When I assumed my post last August 8, ladies and gentlemen, the first matter I had to attend to was the situation in Basilan and Sulu. And I have to admit that I have not had the time to really sit down and digest issues regarding the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office. However, the task is much easier now that I have a work product to begin with.   

For 35 years, the Department of National Defense, through the Philippine Veterans Office or PVAO has been taking care of our heroes and their families.  PVAO has helped soldiers injured in line of duty.  PVAO has assisted widows in rebuilding their lives and, in their old age, PVAO has the mandate of helping to ensure that our heroes are taken care of. 

For 35 years, given our limitations, PVAO has been doing a commendable job of serving our veterans. But, as Undersecretary Carolina has said earlier and with consultations between and amongst each and every one of you, we can still improve. 

Now you have a rallying call of “transforming while performing.” PVAO must also transform itself to be able to provide more comprehensive and more meaningful service to our veterans, aside from paying their pensions and benefits. PVAO must also be able to oversee veteran affairs, promote their welfare and ensure that the cause of the signal that we said by attending to these affairs of our veterans the future generations will be inspired to make the same sacrifice that these heroes before us had made before.  

I am glad that PVAO now has an Integrity Development Action Plan. I would like to thank personally the office of the Ombudsman for helping the PVAO identify its systemic deficiencies and for also crafting recommendations which will definitely help PVAO in promoting greater efficiency, increased transparency, better information management and enhanced processes. 

I understand that you have begun making headways in improving your services and implementing the recommendations of the IDR: 

·        You have started to invest more in terms of human capital by providing your officers and employees with capability building training 

·        You have begun to implement organizational changes to ensure better check and balances as well as speed up the processing of claims 

·        You continue to cleanse your list of pensioners and shift pension delivery from mailing to direct bank remittance will undoubtedly help government save hundreds of millions of pesos 

·        In addition to these efforts, I have also learned that PVAO has recently established a tripartite anti-fixer committee, which also taps the expertise of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Defense Intelligence and Security Group in putting an end to the activities of these fixers 

We can do a lot. However, we need all the help we can. And I thank former Undersecretary Lorenzo for continuing commitments to help us as we invite all those members of the general public, the business community, the NGOs, to likewise pinch-hit and try to help us. We are, as we know in the Department, overworked and undermanned. And sometimes, the best way is to partner with experienced sectors in order for us to achieve our goals.  

The challenge perhaps for now PVAO for the coming years would be – 

·        Leverage your successes and build on them and pursue the commitments you have made in your integrity development action plan; 

·        Transform yourself into a dynamic organization which may not merely answer to the requirements as called for by the veterans, but to anticipate their future needs, and their families, and; 

·        Lastly, I invite the employees of PVAO to draw inspiration from your model employees, who we have awarded today, who I understand have been examples of dedicated service.  And look also at our retirees’ example for their heroism must be recognized by giving them quality service. They had fought and we hope that by taking care of them, the future generations will also stand up to the call of their country when needed.  

We can draw inspiration from a lot of heroes who are here with us today—the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea or PEFTOK; the Philippine Civic Action Group or PhilCAG; the Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor; the Philippine Veterans Legion (PVL); Hunters ROTC Association; AFP Retired Veterans Association; the USAFIP-NL; and also the Veterans Federation of the Philippines or VFP which has been specifically created to unify all these veterans organizations to represent and promote their interests under a unified umbrella organizations. 

Lately, we have enunciated the One-Team Concept in the DND. It is also important that under this concept we help and reinforce each other, whatever agency under the DND family we come from. Likewise, we should leverage the talents which we have in other agencies in order for us to come out with a holistic and synergistic Department of National Defense.  

Once again, I congratulate each and every one of you and I pay my respects to those who have sacrificed a lot for our country.  

Maraming salamat po at magandang umaga sa kanilang lahat.

-- End --


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