AN ACT AMENDING SECTION FOUR OF THE CHARTER OF THE PHILIPPINE VETERANS BANK.

• Number: Presidential Decree No. 1855
• Sections: 4

Preamble

WHEREAS, the Philippine Veterans Bank was created pursuant

to its Charter (Republic Act No. 3518), as amended, for the benefit solely of

the veterans of World War II;

WHEREAS, the term "veteran or veterans under paragraph (a),

Section 1

SEC. 1. Section four of Republic Act No. 3518 is amended to

read as follows:

“SEC. 4. Determination of Veterans entitled to benefit

from this Act.— (a) The term “veteran or veterans” shall include any person

or persons who served in the regularly constituted air, and or naval services or

arms, or in such non-regularly organized military units in the Philippines

during World War II and whose services with such units are duly recognized by

the Republic of the Philippines or by the Government of the United States, those

who serve in the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea during the Korean

Campaign or in any armed conflict in which the Philippine may be involved in the

future, and the retirees of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who served in

the pass World War II military service for at least 10 years: Provided,

That, the said veterans or retirees have been honorably discharge or separated

from the service or continue in the active military service or are carried in

the military poster on inactive reserve: Provided, further, That for

purposes of this Act the term “veteran or veterans” shall also include the

widows, orphans and compulsory heirs of deceased and veterans in the direct

ascending line and direct descending line, excluding their grandchildren and

greatgrandchildren.

(b) The term “organized or acknowledge veterans organizations” duly

recognized or acknowledge as such by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, and

Armed Forces of the Philippines which shall keep officials rosters of such

veterans organization;

(c) On the basis of the acknowledged or duly established official records and

data from the Treasury of the Philippines and any other record or admissible

under the rules of evidence, such as records of the Philippine Veterans Affairs

Office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the said government entities

shall determine immediately after the approval of this Act who and how many are

the veterans of the Philippines as enumerated in paragraph (a) of this section,

who are entitled to the benefits of this Act. The decision of the Philippine

Veterans Affairs Office and the Armed Forces of the

Philippines on the matter

shall be final, unless appeal for review within fifteen days from notice thereof

is made to the President of the Philippines or to the Supreme Court whose

decision shall be final. The appeal shall be perfected in the same manner as in

other proceedings and it may be prosecuted by the interested party or by the

head of any acknowledged veterans organization;

(d) The reckoning date for determining the status and number of such

veterans, their widows, orphans or compulsory heirs shall be the date of

approval of this Act.

(e) The share of each beneficiary, war veteran or widow, orphan or compulsory

heir of a deceased veteran, in the distribution of the benefits accruing to the

Republic of the Philippines, shall be equal regardless of rank and services

rendered; Provided, That in case of orphan or orphans of a deceased

veteran, they shall be counted as one unit only and the share of all of them

regardless of their number shall be the same or equal to that of a surviving war

veteran or surviving widow;

(f) Notice of the decision of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office and the

Armed Forces of the Philippines on the question of who are entitled to

participate in the benefits accruing to the Veterans Trust Fund shall

immediately be served on the interested parties, either directly or thru the

organization to which they belong in writing and by registered mail. In

addition, the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office and the Armed Forces of the

Philippines shall publish for three consecutive weeks a notice in two newspapers

of general circulation in the Philippines to the effect that the Philippine

Veterans Affairs Office and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have already

completed their work of determining the number and the identity of those

entitled to participate in the trust fund and advising any party interested who

has not received yet the notice of the decision served upon him that he may

verify his inclusion or exclusion from the official register in the Philippine

Veterans Affairs Office and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. These offices

shall keep complete lists and official register of those included and excluded

from the enjoyment of the benefit, which lists shall be available for inspection

during office hours. The official registry books shall constitute as irrevocable

public record certified true copies of which may be released by the custodian of

records for official purpose only."

Section 2

SEC. 2. This decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 26th day of December in the year of Our

Lord, nineteen hundred and eighty-two.

(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS

President of the

Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) JOAQUIN T. VENUS, JR

Deputy Presidential Executive

Assistant

Section 4

Section 4 of the PVB Charter include any person or persons who served in the

regularly constituted air, land or naval services or arms, or in such

non-regularly organized military units in the Philippines during World War II,

and whose services with such units are duly recognized by the Republic of the

Philippines or by the Government of the United States;

WHEREAS, Section 3 of Republic Act No. 2640 otherwise known

as the Charter of the Veterans Federation of the Philippines, the umbrella of

all accredited veterans organizations, provides that the members of the said

Federation are not only veterans of World War II, but also those who served in

the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEPTOK) or in any armed conflict in

which the Philippines may be involved in the future, and the retirees of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines who served in the military service after World

War II for ten years or more;

WHEREAS, if only World War II veterans and their widows,

orphans and compulsory heirs shall remain the stockholders of the PVB, there

will come a time in the near future that the number of stockholders will be

greatly reduced because of their inevitable death, taking into account that for

purposes of the PVB Charter, only the heirs of the veterans in the direct

ascending line and direct descending line (excluding their grandchildren) are

qualified to succeed to the shares of stock upon the death of the

stockholders;

WHEREAS, in order to insure the perpetuity of the Philippine

Veterans Bank, there is an urgent necessity of including in the definition of

the term "veteran or veterans" those who served in the Philippine Expeditionary

Force to Korea or in any armed conflict in which the Philippines may be involved

in the future, and the retirees of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the

Philippines, by virtue of the powers in me vested by the Constitution, do hereby

decree and make the following as a part of the law of the land;