HOUSE committee on ways and means chairman and Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda said the Philippine National Police (PNP) stands to gain the most from the proposed Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP) pension reform.

The House of Representatives has already approved the bill on 3rd and final reading and is currently pending discussions in the Senate.

Salceda, principal author of the measure and chairs the House Ad Hoc Committee on the MUP Pension System with Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, said that “those who are totally permanently disabled and the survivors of those who are killed in action will now be entitled to the same retirement and survivorship benefits that other MUP are entitled to.”

Salceda added he is open to making the retirement benefit “retroactive” since the PNP is still a young force.

“I know the risks involved in policing at a very personal level. One of two police officers shot dead last July while on patrol in Oas was my personal security officer, Police Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Ostonal.

The other was Police Corporal Jeffrey Refereza. Hopefully, we could come up with some way to make at least the eligibility for at least some of these benefits retroactive.

With instructions from PNP Chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda, Brigadier General Niño David Rabaya is working with us on these issues,” Salceda said.

Salceda added that the PNP also stands to gain the most from the proposed 3 percent guaranteed annual salary hike for 10 years under the proposed measure.

“Being the largest uniformed service, the PNP also stands to gain the most from a sustainable pension system. Apart from fully retaining the structure of the existing pension system for active and retired personnel, the MUP Pension Reform Act also guarantees a 3 percent annual increase in salary over the next ten years.

We estimate that as much as 47.6% of the total benefits from the salary increase will accrue to members of the PNP,” he said.

“It is for these reasons that we considered the key role of a strong and high-morale police force in the crafting the Military and Uniformed Personnel or MUP Pension Reform Act.

The MUP Pension Reform Act was an assignment given to me by President Marcos and the House leadership, headed by Speaker Romualdez. We successfully defended a reform that was acceptable to all major stakeholders,” Salceda said.

“Officials of the PNP have called the House version a morale boost. The bill is now in the Senate, most likely to be approved into law by this year, given President Marcos’ strong support,” Salceda added.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Ryan Ponce Pacpaco