Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 8) — Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has criticized the shortage in benefits for police personnel who incur total, permanent disability because of their work.
During a Senate panel budget hearing on Friday, Dela Rosa bared he received complaints from some cops who got disabled during duty about getting only five years’ worth of benefits instead of continuous retirement compensation.
Dela Rosa, himself a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, said this was because such police officers were considered separated from service instead of retired.
“Porket ‘di siya umabot ng 20 years sa serbisyo ang classification niya ay separated and not retired?” lamented the lawmaker, calling the setup “unfair.”
[Translation: So we’re classifying a disabled police worker as separated and not retired just because he did not reach 20 years of service?]
He was referring to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Act of 1990, better known as Republic Act 6975, which mandates compulsory retirement for any officer or non-officer that gets fully disabled in line of duty.
If the concerned individual served below two decades, RA 6975 says he will be “separated from the service and be entitled to a separation pay equivalent to one and one-fourth (11/4) months base pay for every year of service, or a fraction thereof, and longevity pay of the permanent grade he holds.”
Officials of the PNP and National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) have recommended amending the law to help the affected cops, to which Dela Rosa sought a position paper from them on the matter.
After over four hours of deliberation, the Senate Committee on Finance approved the ₱251.18-billion budget for 2023 sought by the DILG and its attached agencies, which include PNP and NAPOLCOM.
CNN Philippines correspondent Eimor Santos contributed to this report.
