MANILA, Philippines – ISINIWALAT ni Defense chief Gilbert Teodoro Jr. na ang “first marching order” ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr., sa kanya ay ang pagpapatuloy ng reporma sa military and uniformed personnel (MUP) pension system.
“The first marching order of the President to me was the pension scheme for the Armed Forces,” ayon kay Teodoro sa isang panayam.
“A lot of work has been done towards that end and it’s a matter of continuing the work done and I commend Secretary (Carlito) Galvez and the rest of the financial teams, Secretary (Benjamin) Diokno for working together for it,” dagdag na wika nito.
At sa tanong naman kung ano ang posibleng magiging kontribusyon niya sa proseso, sinabi ni Teodoro na susuriin niyang mabuti ang panukalang adjustments para matiyak na ang bagong pension system ay magiging self-sustaining.
Sinabi pa ni Teodoro na titiyakin niya na ang prudential standards ay “are in place in the governance of funds and that the people in charge would conform to the fit and proper rule”
“You know that is a lot of risk in order to grow the fund. You need to take some risks, but it should be balanced by prudential standards too,” ani Teodoro.
Kabilang sa panukalang reporma sa MUP pension ay ang pag-alis sa automatic indexation sa pension at ang pagpapatupad ng mandatory contributions sa military personnel.
Ukol naman sa concerns ng ilang mambabatas na ang adjustment ay maaaring i-demoralize ang personnel at makaapekto sa recruitment rate, sinabi ni Teodoro na ang trabaho ay nananatiling “attractive” ikonsidera pa ang non-monetary benefits.
Sinabi pa nito na ang financial burden bunsod ng posibleng kontribusyon ay minimal kumpara sa ibang trabaho.
“I think that if it is the least financial disruption for them as possible, the military is still a very, very attractive career option for them because there are a lot of non-monetary benefits,” anito.
“And the financial burden on them would be minimal compared to perhaps other private sector employees,” dagdag na pahayag ni Teodoro.
Winika pa ni Teodoro na dapat na intindihin ng uniformed personnel ang pangangailangan para sa reporma lalo pa’t kinakikitaan na ang pagkaubos ng financial resources. Kris Jose
