Senate approves DFA retirement benefits

THE Senate on Tuesday ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill 2863 and House Bill 10466, otherwise known as the Adjusted Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Retirement Benefits Act. If enacted into law, the measure mandates a monthly pension differential for DFA retirees to make their stipend at par with the salary grade of the rank they held upon retirement. "This legislation aims to aid our lifelong foreign service personnel throughout their twilight years as they retire from the frontlines of our diplomatic relations," said Sen. Mark Villar, author and sponsor of Senate Bill 2863. "They have sacrificed being with family and loved ones to provide a strong fort for the country's bilateral ties to other nations. It is no overstatement to say that they are one of our modern heroes, as such, needing to be recognized and treated similarly," he added. The legislation shall apply to retired officers and employees of the DFA who are Filipino citizens and are receiving a monthly pension from the Government Service Insurance System, as well as those who opted to retire under Republic Act 1616, provided that they reached 65 years of age and served the DFA for at least 15 years at the time of their retirement. All other DFA officers and employees who have retired but have not met all the above-mentioned requirements shall be covered by applicable benefits under existing laws and regulations. The grant of pension differential shall be given without prejudice to the existing pension benefits received by the retirees and shall be applied prospectively. The DFA shall conduct periodic reviews of the guidelines on the grant of the monthly pension differential to ensure program sustainability.