MUP pension bill to be prioritized when Senate resumes — Estrada
THE CHAIR of the Senate’s national defense and security committee assured on Monday that bills reforming the pension system for retired military and uniformed personnel (MUP) will be immediately tackled once Congress resumes in May.
Senator Jose “Jinggoy” P. Estrada said the panel recognizes the crucial need to address a looming financial crash of the pension fund.
“Indeed, we are facing a ballooning pension requirement without viable funding sources. The MUP pensions are way higher than the budgetary requirement for the base pay of active soldiers and policemen,” he said in a statement.
Aside from the military and the police, the MUP pension program covers members of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Corrections, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Public Safety College, and the Coast Guard.
Several bills on the MUP reform are pending before the committee, including Mr. Estrada’s Senate Bill No. 284.
He said his bill “[provides] a mechanism for our government to balance and sustain financial flexibility while also guaranteeing our men and women in uniform that the State can and will continue to provide suitable benefits and remuneration to them.”
Counterpart measures in the House of Representatives are also pending at the committee level.
Finance Secretary Benjamin E. Diokno said in a news briefing last week that the Armed Forces of Philippines’ budget under the current system may not be able to fund pension for retired military and uniformed personnel in the future.
He said that failure to reform the MUP pension program could lead to a possible “fiscal collapse.” — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
