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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider P40 million added to sustain veterans' clinics, says Teodoro

P40 million added to sustain veterans' clinics, says Teodoro

Published Aug 15, 2026 03:16 pm

At A Glance

  • President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has committed an additional P40 million this year to sustain the operations of VALOR Clinics for Filipino veterans and their dependents, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said.
  • Teodoro said the government plans to expand the VALOR network with clinics in Cagayan de Oro and Camp Aquino in Tarlac City expected to open this year while a Fort Magsaysay clinic is also being considered.
  • Teodoro graced the first founding anniversary of the Fernando Air Base VALOR Clinic on Aug. 14, which now serves about 1,000 patients monthly, up from 200 when it opened, and operates at least five days a week.
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. delivers a speech during the first founding anniversary of the VALOR Clinic at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas on Aug. 14, 2026. (Photo: DND)
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. delivers a speech during the first founding anniversary of the VALOR Clinic at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas on Aug. 14, 2026. (Photo: DND)
An additional P40 million has been earmarked this year to keep government-run clinics for Filipino veterans operating, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Friday, Aug. 14.
Teodoro Jr. said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. committed the additional funding for the Veterans Access to Lifetime Optimized Healthcare (VALOR) Clinics as demand for their services continues to grow.
He made the announcement during the first anniversary celebration of the VALOR Clinic at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas.
The DND said the clinic has seen a fivefold increase in its monthly patient load since it opened, having attended to around 1,000 patients each month from its initial service of about 200 patients in its first month.
The facility also expanded its operations from once a week to at least five days a week after staffing limitations were addressed.
Teodoro said the rise in demand showed that veterans were finding value in the services, although it also created pressure on the clinics and the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City.
“The challenge now is to shorten waiting times,” Teodoro said.
He said the government would explore partnerships with local hospitals to accommodate cases that could still be managed outside the VMMC, making more complicated cases be referred to the veterans’ hospital.
The VALOR program was created to bring healthcare services closer to veterans and their dependents. Teodoro said maintaining the clinics remains a logistical challenge because of staffing, connectivity, storage, and medical data privacy requirements.
At the same time, Teodoro bared that the DND was working to reshape the role of the VMMC by strengthening its capacity to handle highly specialized cases.
Teodoro said the medical system of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should eventually be integrated with the veterans’ healthcare system.
“The clients of the AFP medical system will be clients of the VMMC, and the sooner we can mitigate their conditions through preventive healthcare, the less problems we will have when they get older,” he said.
The DND chief said the proposed integration is intended to put greater emphasis on preventive care, allowing medical conditions among active-duty personnel to be addressed earlier before they require more extensive treatment after retirement.
He noted that the VMMC should become a highly specialized tertiary intervention hospital for cases that cannot be managed by local hospitals, outreach facilities, or the AFP Medical Center.
Moreover, the government is also preparing for the expansion of the VALOR Network, according to Teodoro. Clinics in Cagayan de Oro and Camp Aquino in Tarlac City are expected to open this year while a clinic in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija may also proceed depending on the availability of logistical and support requirements.

Related Tags

DND VALOR Clinics Veterans Memorial Medical Center
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