The legal wife prevails, even in the distribution of benefits of the slain 44 Special Action Force commandos and 15 survivors of the Mamasapano clash who have second wives, the Philippine National Police said on Tuesday.
As the PNP finalized the distribution of pension benefits and cash donations from government agencies to the families of the slain SAF men, the PNP stressed that only the legal beneficiaries are entitled.
“Our sole and final basis on determining the legal beneficiaries is the law,” PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr. told reporters in an interview.
“Syempre ang legal, ’yung pinakasalan (The legal beneficiaries are the ones they married).”
Aside from pension benefits and death gratuities, donations for the SAF men poured in since the Jan. 25 Mamasapano incident.
In total, the police officers will receive benefits amounting to P82 million. An additional P18 million the PNP received from its fundraising for the SAF would be given to the beneficiaries.
Unlike the second spouses, Cerbo reiterated that children born out of wedlock, as provided by law, have legal claims to the benefits of their parents.
“We recognize those kinds of arrangements but at the end of the day, the beneficiary is still the legal wife,” he said.
“Hindi kinikilalang mga beneficiaries ’yung mga ‘No. 2’ (“‘No. 2s’ are not recognized as beneficiaries).”
If the second family would take legal action against the policy, Cerbo said the PNP was “ready to face them in court of law.” RC