Nationwide round-up (02/03/21)

Proposed law on pension system reform for uniformed personnel filed

ALBAY 2nd District Rep. Rep. José María Clemente S. Salceda filed a bill on Wednesday that seeks to reform the pension system of uniformed personnel and address the ballooning liability, which currently stands at P9.6 trillion. Mr. Salceda filed House Bill No. 8593, titled Unified Military and Uniformed Services Personnel Separation, Retirement, and Pension Act. “P9.6 trillion is half of our GDP (gross domestic product). Any pension liability that covers half of your economy is trouble. And the problem will only get bigger if we don’t solve it now,” he said, citing the amount from a study by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Mr. Salceda explained that the problem with pension costs for military and uniformed personnel (MUP) is that “there is no pension fund to speak of.” He added, “It’s always a budget item. It will eventually eat up the budget unless we can find ways to defer the liabilities and keep some funds in trust.” MUPs’ pensions are also up to nine times more than the average pensioner covered by the government, he said. — Gillian M. Cortez

Senate to look into private vehicle inspection centers, exorbitant fees

BW FILE PHOTO

A SENATOR has filed a resolution seeking to investigate accredited vehicle inspection centers following complaints by private vehicle owners of higher fees supposedly based on new government policies. Senator Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares, chair of the Senate committee on public services, filed Resolution No. 634 to probe Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVICs) and the P1,800 fee imposed on every vehicle weighing up to 4,500 kilograms. The fee is based on a Land Transportation Office (LTO) memorandum. “The intention behind the law is noble, but the fees following its implementation cannot come at a worse time in the middle of a pandemic where people are barely getting by and now have to add another item in their list of expenses,” Ms. Llamanzares said in a statement on Wednesday. On top of the P1,800 fee, owners are subject to another P900 if their vehicles fail to pass the first inspection. PMVICs are also authorized to collect a P600 inspection fee, and if necessary, an additional P300 for re-inspection. A separate inspection fee is charged for other transactions such as motor vehicle modification, miscellaneous transactions and recovered stolen vehicles. Stakeholders said there was no public consultation before the LTO moved to privatize the Motor Vehicle Inspection System. “It’s hard to ignore the accounts from motorists who have experienced glitches in the PMVIC test results that incurred additional costs on their part for reinspection,” the senator said. “The unreliability of the test results is problematic and burdensome, to say the least.” — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Solons eye ‘Cha-cha’ plebiscite simultaneous with 2022 elections

MEMBERS of the House of Representatives are proposing to hold the plebiscite to ratify the economic amendments of the 1987 Constitution during next year’s national and local elections. The simultaneous casting of votes will be cost-efficient as well as provides assurance that the current charter change proposals are not intended to include term extensions for incumbent officials, according to AKO-Bicol Party-list Rep. Alfredo A. Garbin, Jr., chair of House committee on constitutional amendments. In a virtual briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Garbin said in a mix of Filipino and English, “We will schedule the plebiscite in 2022 so the government can save (on cost)… this (plebiscite) should be conducted together with the Presidential and National elections.” He also said, “This will allay fears on the term extensions… so the citizens can see there is an election.” Mr. Garbin said he hopes the Senate will also prioritize the passage of the charter amendments, adding the proposed revisions will be a long-term solution that will boost investments and employment. — Gillian M. Cortez