Photo from the DFA
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson has filed a bill seeking to increase the monthly pension and disability benefits of retired career officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
In filing Senate Bill No. 2347, Lacson lamented the “measly” pension being received by some DFA retirees “despite rendering long years of service at the frontlines of Philippine foreign relations, at times risking their lives under dangerous conditions in their countries of assignment.”
Under the bill, the monthly pension benefits of all retirees of the DFA as provided under Philippine Foreign Service Act of 1991 “shall be automatically adjusted at the same rate as any future or subsequent increase in the salary grade of the same rank he or she retired from.”
The measure covers retired DFA officers or employees who have served in the DFA for at least 15 years and are eligible to receive monthly pensions from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
“Personnel of the DFA are at the frontlines of Philippine foreign relations, sometimes risking their lives under dangerous conditions in their countries of assignment. While in active service, diplomats have demonstrated their resilience as the Philippines’ first line of representation in dealing with a plethora of concerns,” Lacson, who chairs the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Commission on Appointments, said in a statement Tuesday.
“Their initiative, competence, professionalism, and creativity have resulted in enduring bilateral and multilateral partnerships, strategic agreements and collaborative engagements that continue to be harnessed for our people’s benefits,” he added.
The bill aims to provide both present and future retirees of the foreign service “support that is adequate and responsive to their needs, and to reassure them that their dedication and loyalty to the Filipino people is not forgotten.”
‘Additional entitlements’
Under the measure, all DFA officers and employees covered by the proposed law will also be “eligible for disability and death benefits in the same manner provided under the GSIS Act, as amended, and other relevant laws.”
In case of death of a DFA retiree or personnel covered by the proposed law, the following will be entitled to receive the adjusted retirement benefits that the deceased was receiving or entitled to receive: his or her surviving legitimate spouse, during his or her lifetime, or until he or she remarries;
dependent minor children until he/she reaches the age of majority.
“Said benefits shall be distributed or apportioned in accordance with the GSIS Act, as amended,” according to the bill.
If enacted into law, the bill will have a retroactive effect, meaning it will also cover DFA personnel who retired prior to the effectivity of the measure.