Marcos orders review of Army’s disability discharge policy

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Monday ordered an overhaul of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Complete Disability Discharge (CDD) policy, aiming to ensure that soldiers injured in the line of duty continue to find meaningful employment despite their injuries.

The President tasked Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr., with reviewing the CDD policy to prevent future cases where injured soldiers are simply discharged, emphasizing recognition and continued support for their service.

“I have also instructed our Secretary of National Defense to review this policy so that situations like this do not happen again, where a soldier who is injured in the line of duty, while defending the Philippines, is simply discharged. That is not right. We will create a new CDD policy as soon as possible,” he said in Filipino via a video posted on his Facebook.

The announcement came after Captain Jerome J. Jacuba, 0-146467, was blinded by a combat-related explosion and initially slated for CDD, which would have ended his military service.

Mr. Marcos described the original discharge as “unjust” given Mr. Jacuba’s years of service and battlefield sacrifice.

He instructed Chief of Staff Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. to suspend Mr. Jacuba’s CDD, promote him to major and assign him to roles under “major adaptive duties,” allowing him to continue contributing to the military despite his disability.

“Even though he has lost his sight, there are still many ways a soldier can contribute,” Mr. Marcos said.

The AFP’s CDD is an official separation from military service granted to personnel who have a service-related physical disability that entirely prevents them from resuming duty.

This discharge enables affected members to apply for disability pensions and other entitled benefits. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana