ILOILO City – The Balantang Memorial Cemetery National Shrine in Barangay Quintin Salas, Jaro district is now at full capacity, prompting plans to establish a columbarium to accommodate deceased World War II veterans, particularly from the Six Military District.
Glen Castañares, the designated head of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) Iloilo Field Service Extension Office, said the shrine is currently unable to accept more bodies.
“The Balantang shrine is reserved exclusively for members of the Sixth Military District of World War II. As of now, there are absolutely no spaces left,” he revealed.
The Balantang Memorial Cemetery National Shrine is the only military cemetery outside Metro Manila and was established to honor Filipino guerrillas under the command of General Macario Peralta Jr. who liberated Panay Island from Japanese occupation from February 6 to March 20, 1945.
Castañares said the PVAO is urgently looking for solutions to the overcrowding so it could resume accepting World War II veterans at the cemetery. Personnel from the PVAO Main Office in Metro Manila inspected the cemetery recently/
“One potential solution identified is to build a columbarium that could accommodate up to 150 urns. This would help manage future requests and align the shrine’s offerings with those of Libingan ng mga Bayani in Metro Manila,” said Castañares.
The data from PVAO-Iloilo showed there are only 17 living World War II veterans left under the Six Military District, with ages ranging from 99 to 105 years.
Regarding total active pensioners in the region, there are 8,990 veterans, including those from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Constabulary who served for six years.
World War II veterans receive a monthly pension of P21,700 plus free hospitalization, while post-war veterans get P5,000 per month./PN
