NextGen Day

For retirees of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), two bills have been introduced in the Senate to raise their monthly pension and disability benefits.

Loren Legarda, Senate President Pro Tempore, introduced Senate Bill No. 829 and the No. 829 of Senator Risa Hontiveros. 1510 will apply to DFA staff members who have worked continuously for at least 15 years and who are qualified for a monthly pension from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

The GSIS Act’s applicable benefits will instead be provided to DFA officers and employees who retired before the Acts’ effective dates or who retired but did not fulfill the requirements.

In her explanation, Legarda noted that “our Philippine diplomats have always been at the forefront, to the point that many have even risked their lives in the countries where they have been assigned.”.

Hontiveros agreed, stating that although they face complicated difficulties related to adjusting to life in foreign countries with diverse cultures—particularly as trailblazers in establishing new posts—they are nonetheless “primarily responsible for responding and attending immediately to Filipinos in distress, especially during critical times, disasters, security threats, and other crisis situations. “.

The bills would provide that all DFA retirees would receive the monthly pension benefits stipulated in Republic Act No. The rate of automatic adjustment under Section 7157, or the Philippine Foreign Service Act of 1991, shall be equal to the rate of any future or ensuing increase in the salary grade of the rank they retired from.

Any pension paid to a beneficiary shall not, in whole or in part, be subject to income tax, attachment, execution, forfeiture, or retention under any legal or equitable proceedings, nor shall any lien of any kind.

In the event of death, the dependent children and their surviving spouses will be divided or apportioned in accordance with the GSIS Act for the duration of their lives or until they remarry.

Initial funds will be deducted from the DFA savings for the current year, and subsequent funds will come from the annual differential amount required by GSIS to pay the adjusted monthly pension.

The other benefits must be budgeted for in the General Appropriations Act each year and come primarily from the DFA’s income from consular services.

Given the difficult tasks that our foreign service members must perform, Legarda said, “it is only fitting to provide them with decent benefits, most especially upon retirement, thus compensating them for their patriotism and the hard work they have rendered throughout their careers.”.

Representative Marcelino Libanan, the House Minority Leader and member of the 4Ps party list, also drafted a similar bill, House Bill No. 4077, “to consider the financial challenges faced by our foreign service officers in preparing for their eventual retirement, including their need to resettle and establish a home here in the nation after their tours of duty abroad. “.

There are currently 3,300 authorized permanent positions with the DFA as of the most recent tally during the hearings for the 2023 budget.

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