A Senate committee seeks to improve government employees’ welfare

PH | A Senate committee seeks to improve government employees’ welfare | MANILA – 

The Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization, and Professional Regulation discussed several measures on Wednesday aimed at improving the welfare of government employees, including lowering the retirement age for employees from 65 to 60 for mandatory retirement and from 60 to 56 for optional retirement, as well as automatic promotion upon retirement.

The discussion was led by Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., chair of the committee, who emphasized the role of government personnel and the significance of enacting these measures into law.

They assist the State in providing our countrymen with necessary services. They may very well be regarded as frontliners given the part they play in bringing our government and our “kababayans” (countrymen) closer together, he added.

Revilla has introduced Senate Bill No. 183 to amend Republic Act No. 8291, also known as the “Government Service Insurance System Act of 1997,” to enable public servants to retire and begin receiving retirement benefits at the age of 56.

The legislator claimed he has been working for the adoption of this legislation since the 18th Congress in the hopes that it will finally be accepted after recently passing in the House of Representatives.

Revilla stated, “We also have many colleagues here in the Senate who support this good initiative; I am confident that we can push for its passage.” “Marami rin tayong kasamahan sa Senado na sumusuporta sa magandang hangarin nito, buo ang loob ko na maitutulak talaga natin ang pagkakapasa nito,”

In support of the measure, the Civil contribution Commission stated during the hearing that “there is a need for a better retirement plan for the public sector that is responsive to the current economic situation and would honor the government’s civil servants’ selfless service to the nation.”

Measures to offer government workers an automatic promotion upon retirement were also explored.

Senate Bill No. 1568, introduced by Revilla, is one of these laws. It calls for giving retiring government workers an automatic promotion that is one grade higher than their salary grade at the time of retirement, with the intention that the adjusted salary grade will be used as the foundation for calculating their retirement benefits.

“Ipagkaloob natin sa ating mga lingkod-bayan ang automatic promotion, karapat-dapat naman. It’s not unfair to say that government employees deserve this automatic promotion to help them with their dedication and to help them with their pagsusumikap na kanilang pinamalas at the pagsisilbi that aren’t in their own workplace, according to the general consensus. It is not superfluous for us to express our gratitude for their commitment and effort in serving not only the government but also the general public),” he said.

The military and uniformed personnel are immediately promoted one level higher upon retirement under the existing pension system, and there is no minimum pensionable age. They can even get their pension after 20 years of service.

Additionally, the monthly pension is automatically adjusted to the active personnel’s income.(via PNA)