An official of the Department of National Defense (DND) on Thursday assured the government’s commitment to ensure health care facilities for World War II veterans and to honor their patriotism.

DND Undersecretary Pablo Lorenzo, who represented Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. as guest of honor and speaker during the 80th Lingayen Gulf Landing and Veterans Day commemorative program at the provincial capitol, said pension and non-pension benefits are in the pipeline for the veterans.

He said primary to this bid is the establishment of the Veterans Medical Service to “expand the access to quality medical care and hospitalization through joint ventures and partnerships with hospitals nationwide, as guided by the directives of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.”

Pending the approval of a charter for the medical service, Lorenzo said the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City continues to provide medical services to the veterans and their dependents.

Lorenzo said 24 veterans wards are being eyed in various government hospitals nationwide.

He said five of which are already operational, and one is at the Region 1 Medical Center in Dagupan City.

“The ward is named after World War II veteran Lieutenant Colonel Jaime M. Arsadon, one of the founding members of the Army of the Agno, a guerrilla organization that was instrumental in Pangasinan’s liberation during World War II,” he said.

In Pangasinan, Governor Ramon Guico III, during the same event, said part of the Capitol Complex project is a rehabilitated Veterans Memorial Plaza in honor of the fallen Pangasinense WWII veterans.

He said the plaza will feature a reflective pool, an interactive fountain, and monuments to honor the sacrifices of veterans.

“I hope that this project will serve as a lasting reminder to us Pangasinenses and to all Filipinos of the significant events that transpired in the Lingayen Gulf during the war,” he said.

There are 25 veterans from Pangasinan who are still living and 10 of them attended Thursday’s event. (PNA)