Trillanes bill on retirement benefits signed into law by P’Noy

MANILA, July 22, 2011-Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV bill which provides expeditious and timely release of the benefits, pension and gratuities of government workers retiring from the service was signed into law by President Benigno S. Aquino III where he lauded the latter for his swift action on the bill.

The new law, Republic Act No. 10154, provides for the release of retirement benefits of state workers within 30 days from the actual date of their retirement.

“The immediately signing of my bill into law by P’Noy would mean that he effectively recognized the sacrifices of our public officers and employees who have rendered decades of faithful, loyal and dedicated service to the public, often toiling and laboring with salaries and benefits barely enough to meet their personal and family needs,” Trillanes said, the principal author of the bill.

“The least we can do is to ensure that they will receive their retirement pay, pensions, gratuities and other retirement benefits immediately or at least within a fixed and reasonable time after their retirement. Retiring government employees should not be made to wait, much less grovel and beg, for what is actually due to them under the law,” he said.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV

Trillanes law seeks to penalize officials who would cause undue delay on the release of these benefits. These erring officials, after hearings and due proceedings, shall be subject to administrative disciplinary action and shall be penalized with suspension from service without pay from six months to one year, at the discretion of the disciplining authority, except in cases of force majeure and other insuperable cases.

“I and other senators received numerous and persistent complaints from civil servants that they were made to wait for unreasonable period of time, sometimes years, before they were able to get their retirement benefits,” Trillanes said.

After being released from detention late last year, the said bill is among the first few bills sponsored by Trillanes at the Senate plenary.  After seven and half years of incarceration for his role in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and the 2007 Manila Pen incident, Trillanes was formally granted amnesty by President Aquino last January 2011. (Jason de Asis)