MANILA, Philippines – Mariing ipinagtanggol ni Rep. Brian Poe ang pensiyon at kapakanan ng mga sundalo at retirado ng bansa sa panahon ng budget briefing ng Department of National Defense (DND), na idiniin na dapat tuparin ng gobyerno ang pangako nito sa mga nag-alay ng kanilang buhay sa pambansang serbisyo.
“We must protect the pension of our uniformed personnel. It is uncompromisable. We cannot compromise on this because our uniformed personnel do not ask for much. They don’t ask for anything but they continue to serve. At the end of their service, the only gift we can give is a respectable pension,” saad ni Poe.
Binanggit din ni Poe ang pangangailangang itaas ang paggasta sa depensa upang tumugma sa mga pandaigdigang pamantayan, lalo na sa patuloy na pananalakay ng China sa West Philippine Sea:
“Because of the persistence of Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, we need to increase this further. Defense capability is not just about weapons — it deepens the diplomatic toolbox of our President. Without deterrence, we fritter away the entitlements not only of our generation, but of future generations of Filipinos.”
Bilang isang reservist, binigyang-diin ni Poe ang kahalagahan ng pagpapalakas ng reserbang puwersa at pamumuhunan sa cyber defense.
“I 100% agree that we need to open opportunities for young professionals to join the Reserves, especially in cybersecurity. With government hackings and fake news threatening us daily, cyber defense must be treated as a top national security priority.”
“For me, the AFP is family. My great-grandfather, Fernando Poe Sr., was part of the UP Vanguard, was a reservist who became an officer during World War II and became captain and for his bravery was given the Bronze Star. So for forever, it will always be a part of our family that we served once with the AFP and we will continue to serve in whatever capacity to support the AFP.”
Sa pagsuporta sa paninindigan ni Poe, iginiit ni Rep. Isidro Ungab ng Davao City ang kahalagahan ng pagprotekta sa badyet at mga pensiyon ng AFP, nagbabala laban sa paulit-ulit na mga nakaraang pagbawas sa mga pondo ng modernisasyon:
“During the good old days of Congress, it was prohibited to move the DND, especially the Pension and Gratuity Fund. If possible, let’s add more. At the very least, we must not repeat the trend of reducing modernization funds when external threats are only growing stronger.”
Parehong sumang-ayon ang dalawang mambabatas na bagama’t ang edukasyon ay nakalagay bilang pinakamataas na priyoridad ng konstitusyon, ang pagtatanggol sa bansa at ang kapakanan ng mga sundalo nito ay dapat ding tumayo bilang hindi mapag-usapan na mga haligi ng pambansang seguridad. RNT/MND
