Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said a measure seeking to reform the military and uniformed personnel (MUP) pension system should only affect new entrants and not those already in active service and present retirees.
He said there is a need to balance the welfare of military and other uniformed personnel and their dependents, while addressing the possible adverse financial impact of the military pension system based on current projections.
“Nais ko klaruhin — suportado ko ang pension reform para maiwasan na maging isang financial disaster ito in the long-run. Pero ayoko na bawasan o maapektuhan ang kasalukuyang pension ng mga nag-retiro na o ‘yung inaasahang pension ng mga naka active duty pa (I would like to clarify, I support pension reform to prevent financial disaster in the long run. But I don’t want the present pension of those who already retired or the pension of who are still in active duty to be affected),” Go said in a news release on Sunday.
Go said he and President Rodrigo Duterte will do their best to make the MUP pension system more fiscally sustainable without putting the country’s uniformed personnel in a disadvantaged situation.
“Kung hindi natin ma-cure ang problemang ito ngayon, baka mas lumala pa ang sitwasyon at kawawa hindi lang ang pensioners kundi ang taumbayan. Long-term po ang solusyon na gusto namin ni Pangulong Duterte dito (If we will not fix this problem now, the situation may worsen and not only the pensioners but the people will be miserable. What President Duterte and I want is long-term solution),” Go said.
Go said his own proposed Senate Bill 1419 seeks to attain fiscal stability and sustainability of the military and police personnel’s pension without prejudice to current pensioners and those in active service.
In his 2017 budget message, President Rodrigo Duterte said the pension reform should be pursued “in view of the ballooning budget burden where the total cost of the pensions of retired soldiers will exceed the compensation of those in active service.”
Around PHP800 billion is needed annually for the next 20 years to pay the pension of the MUP, according to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), based on the existing scheme.
Go stressed the need to enact the measure now, saying the current administration will always uphold the welfare of its uniformed personnel.
“This is a way to address the bloating pension system and the impending financial disaster without sacrificing the interests of those who are already in active service or those who are already retired,” he said.
Go said both the Senate and the House of Representatives are still deliberating the proposed bill, vowing to take into consideration the concerns of those who may be affected by any proposed legislation.
“I am proposing a win-win solution. As a lawmaker, I am always ready to listen and work towards what is beneficial to the people I represent in the Senate while crafting legislation that can further protect and promote the welfare of Filipinos,” he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
