Solon wants gov’t retirement age lowered from 65 to 55

Representative Maria Carmen Zamora (congress.gov.ph photo)

MANILA, Philippines – A lawmaker has proposed the lowering of the mandatory retirement age for government employees to 55 years old, ten years earlier than what the present law requires.

Compostela Valley Representative Maria Carmen Zamora filed House Bill 242 in Congress to address the “slow manpower turn-over in government.”

“More retirees would mean more job openings for the unemployed,” she said in a statement released on Monday.

Zamora said the present law setting the mandatory retirement age at 65 years old may be affecting the bureaucracy’s productivity “since studies show that people reaching the age of 50 years old tend to suffer from a decline of cognitive and physical abilities.”

The congresswoman added that older employees also find it harder to adapt to modern technology.

“Lowering the compulsory retirement age would also allow retirees to thoroughly enjoy the benefits and assistance extended to them, while giving the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) the ability to fully prepare and manage the increase in the transaction volume of retirement applications and their processing,” she said.

The proposed bill seeks to amend sections of Republic Act No. 8291 or the Government Service Insurance System Act.