Legarda’s Veterans’ Month Act targets institutional reform, national consciousness

Senator Loren Legarda sponsored Senate Bill No. 1719, declaring April of every year as Philippine Veterans’ Month while establishing a permanent national framework to honor Filipino veterans and ensure sustained access to services and education.

In her sponsorship speech on March 4 during the plenary session, Legarda emphasized the urgency of institutionalizing veterans’ recognition and shifting from ceremonial observances to concrete services. She noted that the bill is designed to embed veterans’ legacy into law, classrooms, and public service.

“Scarcity changes perspective: when time is limited, gratitude can no longer be postponed. The proposed Philippine Veterans’ Month Act affords us the rare privilege of honoring our veterans not only in portraits and pages of history, but in person, while their stories can still be told in their own voices,” Legarda said.

The four-term senator cited official records showing 464 living veterans of World War II, 41 surviving members of the Philippine Civic Action Group who served in Vietnam, and 29 veterans of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea, underscoring the urgency of the measure.

The bill mandates coordinated nationwide activities, stronger integration of veterans’ stories in basic education with Department of Education (DepEd) guidance, youth volunteer programs, improved access to benefits and health services, and clear inter-agency coordination led by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) and Department of National Defense (DND), with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Health (DOH), and DepEd.

“Sa pamamagitan nito, mapag-uugnay natin ang paggunita at pagkilala. Tuwing Araw ng Kagitingan, inaalala natin ang diwang hindi sumuko. Sa Philippine Veterans’ Month Act, pinalalawig natin ang pag-alalang ito sa buong buwan,” Legarda added.

She further tied the measure to present-day challenges, stressing that national unity must be grounded in remembrance and service.

“The tensions we see abroad—and the continued aggression in the West Philippine Sea—remind us that peace and security are fragile, and that love of country must be grounded in historical consciousness. This is why Philippine Veterans’ Month matters: it keeps the lessons of courage, duty, and sacrifice alive for the next generation,” Legarda said.

By designating April as a month of focused action, the bill shifts veterans’ observances from ceremonial remembrance to operational commitments, ensuring that gratitude is expressed through education, healthcare, and public service.

“I respectfully urge the immediate passage of this bill, so our gratitude is expressed both in law and in action,” Legarda concluded.(30)