ORGANIZED labor has called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify as urgent the proposed Veterans Month bill to ensure its passage before the celebration of the Araw ng Kagitingan or the Day of Valor on April 9. The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) also called on the Senate to pass before April the proposed measure, which was already given plenary approval by the House of Representatives. “With barely a month before April, presidential certification is imperative. Mr. President, let this be remembered as our defining act of gratitude and lasting tribute to our veterans. The nation owes its liberty to them. The least we can give is a month in their honor now,” the TUCP said in a statement. House Bill 7301, or the proposed Philippine Veterans Month, authored by Deputy Speaker Raymond Democrito Mendoza, was approved on third and final reading last Feb. 11 with 218 votes. Its counterpart bill, Senate Bill 1719, authored by Sen. Loren Legarda, is pending at the committee level. Both measures seek to declare the month of April as veteran's month every year. “We trust that Senator Loren Legarda, principal author of the Senate measure and Chair of the Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, will shepherd this vital legislation to swift passage," the group said. It noted that from more than half a million Filipinos who fought in World War II, barely 500 remain. "Every day we delay is a day we fail to fully honor living heroes who chose country over comfort, freedom over fear, and sacrifice over self,” it said.