MANILA, Philippines – TININTAHAN ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ang batas ukol sa paga-adjust ng buwanang benepisyo ng mga Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) retiree.
Nilagdaan ni Pangulong Marcos ang Republic Act No. 12181, o “Adjusted DFA Retirement Benefits Act,” nito lamang Mayo 2 at ini-upload sa Official Gazette, araw ng Lunes.
Saklaw ng batas ang mga retiradong DFA officers at mga empleyado na nakatatanggap ng monthly pensions mula sa Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) at iyong mas piniling magretiro sa ilalim ng RA 1616, dapat lamang na sila ay Filipino citizen, umabot na sa edad na 65 taong gulang, at nakapagsilbi sa DFA ng 15 taon sa panahon ng pagreretiro.
Sa ilalim ng batas, ang mga retirees na nakatatanggap ng monthly pensions ay makatatanggap ng Monthly Pension Differential (MPD).
“The MPD shall be the difference between the adjusted monthly pension computed by the DFA and the actual monthly pension provided by the GSIS to the DFA retiree, to be multiplied by the adjustment factor: Provided, That, upon the effectivity of this Act, the adjustment factor shall be equivalent to fifty percent (50%) which may be subject to review after five (5) years of implementation,” ang nakasaad sa batas.
“The adjusted monthly pension is equal to the product of the monthly salary of the active DFA personnel holding the same rank last held by the retiree, based on the updated salary schedule, multiplied by two and one-half percent (2.5%) and the retiree’s recorded creditable service in the DFA: Provided, That for the first five (5) years of the implementation of this Act, the monthly salary corresponding to Salary Grade Step 1 of the fourth tranche of Republic Act No. 11466, also known as the ‘Salary Standardization Law of 2019’, shall serve as the basis for computing the adjusted monthly pension,” ayon pa rin sa batas.
Samantala, ang DFA retirees na mas pinili na magretiro sa ilalim ng RA 1616 ay makatatanggap ng monthly gratuity benefit na may katumbas ng hindi hihigit sa 50% ng MPD na natanggap ng ibang DFA retirees na nagretiro sa parehong taon at may parehong ranggo.
Nakasaad sa batas na “that five years after the effectivity of this Act, and every five years thereafter, the MPD may be adjusted as long as the funds collected by the DFA under Executive Order No. 906, series of 2010, are sufficient to finance the said adjustment.”
“Any benefit granted under this Act shall not, in whole or in part, be subject to income tax, attachment, execution, forfeiture, or retention under any legal or equitable proceeding, nor shall any lien of any kind or under any consideration be imposed thereon,” ang sinasabi pa rin ng batas.
Sa pagkakataon na ang DFA retiree ay namatay, ang buhay na asawa, kasal man o hindi at kuwalipikadong dependent children—lalo na iyong 18 o pataas na may mental o physical disability dahilan para maging ganap na dependent ang mga ito—ay makatatanggap ng survivorship benefits.
Ang mga banepisyong ito ay itataas sa 50% ng MPD na natatanggap o may karapatan ang retiree, pagsunod sa mga tuntunin sa ilalim ng Republic Act No. 8291 at iba pang kaugnay na batas at regulasyon. Kris Jose
