Marcos grave ‘ready’

DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Friday said the plot at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) in which the dictator Ferdinand Marcos will be buried has already been prepared and said the dictator will be given a 21-gun salute by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Lorenzana said all the necessary arrangements have already been set for the dictator’s burial at the heroes’ cemetery scheduled to take place anytime soon.

The LNMB is under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Lorenzana, who graced the veterans’ event attended by about 1,200 retired servicemen from Northern Mindanao organized by Phivedic Industrial Authority-Misamis Oriental on Friday afternoon, said the Marcos family already had the grave for the late dictator excavated while the AFP has also rehearsed for the military honors that will be given during the interment ceremonies.

He said all expenses are being shouldered by the Marcfos family and the AFP will not spend a single centavo for the dictator’s burial.

Lorenzana said Marcos will be accorded a 21-gun salute to be executed by a seven-man team firing three times.

A 21-gun salute, Lorenzana said, is just a normal ceremonial honor given to any soldier.

He said the AFP has also secured the LNMB premises even before the Supreme Court ruling allowing the dictator’s burial.

“Even if Marcos will not be buried there, we will still secure it [LNMB],” he added.

Meanwhile, Lorenzana told the veterans during the gathering that the budget for the Veterans Hospitalization and Medical Care Program (VHMCP) has been increased to P50 million in the 2016 General Appropriations Act, while the Defense department has proposed an additional amount of P20 million.

The VHMCP, which covers the Department of Health’s universal health care program, has benefited not just the veterans but their spouses and qualified dependents as well. According to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) statistics, as of October 2016, there are about 8,769 surviving World War II and 32,036 post-war veterans.

The living spouses and an estimated 12,754 parent or minor pensioners nationwide are entitled to avail of hospitalization and health care benefits.