IN response to the present needs of police beneficiaries and new laws and policies governing the administration of police benefits, the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) issues updated rules and regulations governing the investigation, adjudication, and payment of Total Permanent Physical Disability (TPPD) and Death Benefits of uniformed members of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

This was announced by NAPOLCOM Vice Chairman and Executive Officer (VCEO) Vitaliano N. Aguirre II after the Commission En Banc, chaired by DILG Secretary and NAPOLCOM Chairman Eduardo M. Año, approved NAPOLCOM Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2021-004, dated October 19, 2021, prescribing updated guidelines on the grant of the aforesaid police benefits.

“The NAPOLCOM deemed it necessary to promulgate a revised and comprehensive issuance concerning police welfare benefits in order to address the present needs of our pensioners in accordance with recent issuances, prescribed policies, guidelines and procedures of R.A. 6975 and R.A. 8551, and other related laws,” Vice Chairman Aguirre II said.

The salient provisions of the new MC focus on the streamlining of procedures from the filing of claims to the payment of benefits to uniformed PNP members who risked their lives while performing their duty to serve and protect the people, as well as to their surviving legal beneficiaries.

Under the new Memorandum Circular, applicants for Total Permanent Physical Disability (TPPD) and Death Benefits may now file their claims through electronic filing at the NAPOLCOM Regional Office having jurisdiction over the assignment of the uniformed PNP personnel while those assigned at the PNP National Headquarters, including the National Support Units (NSUs) and Special Support Units (SSUs), shall file their application at the NAPOLCOM NCR office; and those assigned at the Police Regional Offices (PROs), including all regional offices of the NSUs, shall file their application at the NAPOLCOM Regional Office having administrative jurisdiction over their unit assignment. The MC also provides that in case of impracticability or difficulty with the aforementioned rule, the PNP personnel, or his/her representative, may file the application at the NAPOLCOM Regional Office having jurisdiction over their place of residence, or their location, whichever is more convenient and practical.

The new MC also provides for the admissibility of duplicate documents to the same extent as the original in line with Rule 130 of A.M. No. 19-08-15-SC, entitled “2019 Amendments to the 1989 Revised Rules on Evidence”. Said MC further prescribes the conduct of hearing of the claim through physical or virtual platforms.

The following TPPD Benefits shall be awarded to uniformed PNP members who incurred disability in line of duty or service-connected sickness or injury:

a. Gratuity equivalent to the claimant’s one (1) year salary;
b. Lifetime monthly pension equivalent to eighty percent (80%) of the claimant’s salary; and
c. Reimbursement of reasonable expenses for medicines, medical attendance, hospital fees, necessary transportation and subsistence.

For the grant of Death Benefits, the surviving spouse, or if there be none, the surviving dependent legitimate children, as beneficiaries of deceased PNP members, shall receive the following:

a. Gratuity equivalent to one (1) year salary of the deceased PNP member;
b. Burial expenses equivalent to three (3) months’ salary of the deceased;
c. Reimbursement of reasonable expenses for medicines, medical attendance, hospital fees, necessary transportation, and subsistence.

In the absence of the surviving spouse and dependent legitimate children, Death Benefits shall be awarded to the following, in this particular order:

1. Non-dependent legitimate children and illegitimate children;
2. Surviving parents; and
3. Surviving siblings of the deceased.

Said policy provides that surviving spouse and surviving legitimate, legitimated, and legally adopted children shall be entitled to a monthly pension equivalent to fifty percent (50%) of the deceased’s salary to be divided among themselves in equal shares and with the right of accretion. The illegitimate children of the deceased shall be entitled to one-half (½) of the share of the legitimate child.

If the deceased PNP member is a Muslim, the award of benefits to the beneficiaries shall be in accordance with the provisions of P.D. 1083, otherwise known as the “Code of Muslim Personal Law of the Philippines.”

Vice Chairman Aguirre II explained that the application, processing, evaluation, and approval of TPPD and Death Benefits are decentralized to the Regional Offices, while the payment of monthly pension is undertaken by the Central Office.

“We assure our clients that the Commission adheres to the prescribed processing time/s specified in the NAPOLCOM Citizen’s Charter to ensure the expeditious approval of claims and the prompt release of benefits to PNP members and their beneficiaries,” Vice Chairman Aguirre II said.

He also stressed that the issuance of the new MC is in further complain