Duterte to Congress: Pass law giving free legal aid to soldiers, cops, uniformed personnel

President Rodrigo Duterte during his last and final State of the Nation Address on July 26, 2021. Screengrab from government broadcast

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte, in his final State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, asked Congress to pass a law providing free legal assistance to military, police and other uniformed personnel.

This is to help them face charges stemming from incidents related to the performance of their official duties, Duterte said.

“It is high time for us to pass a law providing free legal assistance to AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and PNP (Philippine National Police) officers, and enlisted personnel to help them from charges arising from incidents related to the performance of official duty,” he said.

Aside from this, he asked Congress to pass a unified system of separation, retirement, and pension of military and uniformed personnel “to maintain gov’t fiscal flexibility and provide adequate benefits to our men and women in uniform.”

But not all military and uniformed officers are eligible for this, he clarified.

“This shall ensure and uphold our territorial integrity from external and security threats among the new additions,” the President said.

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JPV