President Aquino signs law on early release of state workers' retirement benefits
Government workers retiring from the service may soon enjoy their retirement benefits and gratuities earlier than usual after President Benigno Aquino III signed into law a legislation that would hasten the release of such claims, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. announced on Wednesday.
Ochoa said Republic Act (RA) No. 10154, signed into law by President Aquino on July 15, requires all state agencies to release the retirement benefits within 30 days after the actual date of retirement of a government employee. It also provides for penalties for unjustified delays in the release of these benefits.
Government workers retiring from the service may soon enjoy their retirement benefits and gratuities earlier than usual after President Benigno Aquino III signed into law a legislation that would hasten the release of such claims, Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. announced on Wednesday.
Ochoa said Republic Act (RA) No. 10154, signed into law by President Aquino on July 15, requires all state agencies to release the retirement benefits within 30 days after the actual date of retirement of a government employee. It also provides for penalties for unjustified delays in the release of these benefits.
RA 10154 shall take effect 15 days following its publication in the Official Gazette or in two newspapers of general circulation, Ochoa said.
Under the newly signed law, Ochoa said the employer-agency, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) are directed to ensure that all the benefits of a retiring government worker are released on time.
Under the newly signed law, Ochoa said the employer-agency, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) are directed to ensure that all the benefits of a retiring government worker are released on time.
“Government officers and employees have spent the best years of their lives in public service and it is only appropriate that they be extended what is due them under our laws without unwarranted delays,” Ochoa said, noting numerous complaints about the delay in the release of state workers’ retirement benefits.
He added: “RA 10154 is consistent with the 1987 Constitution for the protection of the rights of workers and the promotion of their welfare, as it is likewise in accord with the GSIS Act of 1997.”
To ensure compliance of the 30-day prescribed period, the law orders retiring employees to submit their requirements to the concerned government agency at least 90 days before the effective date of their retirement.
In the event an employee has a pending case and his retirement benefits are being lawfully withheld due to possible financial liability, the head of the agency handling the case is directed to terminate or resolve the case three months prior to his actual retirement date.
To ensure compliance of the 30-day prescribed period, the law orders retiring employees to submit their requirements to the concerned government agency at least 90 days before the effective date of their retirement.
In the event an employee has a pending case and his retirement benefits are being lawfully withheld due to possible financial liability, the head of the agency handling the case is directed to terminate or resolve the case three months prior to his actual retirement date.
Failure to resolve the case within the prescribed period without justifiable reasons will cause the immediate release of the employee’s retirement benefits without prejudice to the ultimate resolution of the case.
RA 10154 covers all branches, agencies and/or instrumentalities of the government, including government-owned and/or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), but excluding personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
RA 10154 covers all branches, agencies and/or instrumentalities of the government, including government-owned and/or -controlled corporations (GOCCs), but excluding personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
The law shall be applicable both to applications for compulsory retirement and optional or early retirement as authorized by law.
Gazmin assures citizenry of a corrupt-free Defense department
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin assured the Filipino people a corruption-free service from the Department of National Defense (DND) and the various agencies under it as he reaffirmed commitment to sustaining lasting peace, sovereignty and integrity of the country’s national territory through systemic reform efforts anchored on the goals of the Aquino administration.
Gazmin assures citizenry of a corrupt-free Defense department
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin assured the Filipino people a corruption-free service from the Department of National Defense (DND) and the various agencies under it as he reaffirmed commitment to sustaining lasting peace, sovereignty and integrity of the country’s national territory through systemic reform efforts anchored on the goals of the Aquino administration.
In a statement during the fifth and last Pilipinas Natin Cabinet Cluster Forum on Security Justice and Peace at the Kalayaan Hall of Malacanang Palace on Wednesday, Gazmin bared the various steps being undertaken by the DND towards to a more responsive and effective national defense agency.
“A very reliable national defense and security policy strategy, a very capable Armed Forces that should continue to guard our shores and skies in a very patriotic soldiery that shall continue to offer the ultimate sacrifice of their lives for our democratic ideals. These are the fundamentals of incessant goals that your Department of National Defense for the years to come and we intend to work to the best of everything in us until our objectives are done,” Gazmin said.
“In the area of instituting reforms we have made specific changes in the management of our financial and logistical resources, we can now assure our citizens that your DND and Armed Forces are now properly spending every peso of our taxpayers’ money and I am here to renew my pledge that there will be no corruption under my watch…” he stressed.
Gazmin pointed out that the DND has formulated a national defense policy that would serve as the fundamental guideline on implementing a rationale and doable national defense strategy in protecting the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Apart from this, the DND has also created a unified medium term defense capability development plan for 2011 to 2016 for the agencies under it. These agencies include the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the government arsenal, the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), and the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).
Gazmin cited the implementation of management reforms to ensure a prudent and honest disbursement of public funds.
“Considering our major resources, we device and adapted the defense system of management for a more prudent, efficient, effective and honest utilization of our resources based on the real needs of our agencies,” Gazmin said.
The defense chief further said that in the pursuit of attaining a lasting internal peace, an internal peace and security plan aptly dubbed as Bayanihan was undertaken involving an all-sector of the society approach.
He said that the DND is pushing for the passage of the proposed National Defense Act that would enable them to be more responsive to the current and evolving developments in the country’s domestic, regional and global security environments.
Gazmin also expressed the defense department’s firm objective on equipment upgrades to effectively carry out their mandate of protecting the country’s territorial integrity.
“Today we are very resolute in our goal of upgrading our armed forces security equipment and hardware in land, air and sea… our armed forces should be able to perform its Constitutional mandate of protecting our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
In performing their duties to the country and the Filipino people, Gazmin assured commitment in upholding human rights and abidance to the rule of law.
He also disclosed the major stakeholders’ approval of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management framework that was signed recently. The DND is now in the formulation stage for its plan of actions towards the implementation of such framework.
Concerning the pensions of retired military personnel, Gazmin said a proposed Philippine Military Pension system is underway that will provide resolution to the lingering problem affecting the financial benefits due to veterans.
The DND is the lead government agency that is entrusted with the mandate to oversee the implementation of the defense and security policies.
Government wants legally binding guideline for all Spratly claimants
The government will look for other venues to resolve the Spratly row if China continues to reject the Philippine proposal to bring the issue to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.
In the last series of the Pilipinas Natin Cabinet Cluster Forum on Security, Justice and Peace aired live over NBN4 and dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said the Department of Foreign Affairs is looking at pursuing a legally binding declaration that will guide all the claimant countries in the West Philippine Sea.
Conejos reiterated anew the country’s position on the issue which is to adhere to a peaceful resolution of the dispute through a multi-lateral approach within the framework of the international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He noted that this was the reason why Secretary Albert del Rosario brought up out the issue with his Chinese counterpart when he visited China a few weeks ago. Del Rosario encouraged China to jointly submit the issue to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.
“But all China said is that they prefer to anchor on the historical basis, so we will look for other ways not only in the international tribunal. In Asean, we are also looking at coming out with a binding declaration of conduct for the parties in the South China Sea. What we have is the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and it’s not a legally binding document,” Conejos said.
“We want a rules-based approach to this issue. We want to confront it once and for all. So we are working for a legally binding document that will guide the actions of the parties in the South China Sea. So, Asean as well as the UN will be our venues,” he added.
The declaration, signed on November 4, 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia by the member states of Asean and China was aimed at promoting peaceful, friendly and harmonious environment in the West Philippine Sea.
It also aims to ensure peace, stability, economic growth and prosperity in the region.
Government wants legally binding guideline for all Spratly claimants
The government will look for other venues to resolve the Spratly row if China continues to reject the Philippine proposal to bring the issue to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.
In the last series of the Pilipinas Natin Cabinet Cluster Forum on Security, Justice and Peace aired live over NBN4 and dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said the Department of Foreign Affairs is looking at pursuing a legally binding declaration that will guide all the claimant countries in the West Philippine Sea.
Conejos reiterated anew the country’s position on the issue which is to adhere to a peaceful resolution of the dispute through a multi-lateral approach within the framework of the international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He noted that this was the reason why Secretary Albert del Rosario brought up out the issue with his Chinese counterpart when he visited China a few weeks ago. Del Rosario encouraged China to jointly submit the issue to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.
“But all China said is that they prefer to anchor on the historical basis, so we will look for other ways not only in the international tribunal. In Asean, we are also looking at coming out with a binding declaration of conduct for the parties in the South China Sea. What we have is the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and it’s not a legally binding document,” Conejos said.
“We want a rules-based approach to this issue. We want to confront it once and for all. So we are working for a legally binding document that will guide the actions of the parties in the South China Sea. So, Asean as well as the UN will be our venues,” he added.
The declaration, signed on November 4, 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia by the member states of Asean and China was aimed at promoting peaceful, friendly and harmonious environment in the West Philippine Sea.
It also aims to ensure peace, stability, economic growth and prosperity in the region.
Following the visit of Del Rosario in China, both countries agreed to work together to ensure peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea. They agreed to preserve their broad relations by not letting disputes over territory in the West Philippine Sea affect diplomatic ties.
Aside from China, the Philippines and Vietnam, other claimant countries include Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
The Spratlys, a chain of barren, largely uninhabited islands, reefs and banks in the West Philippine Sea, are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas. It also has busy sea lanes for global trade and commerce.
Coloma cites ‘Pilipinas Natin’ forum as venue for citizenry to air comments, suggestions, aspirations
Presidential Communications and Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma, Jr. cited the Pilipinas Natin forum, a nationally broadcast program showcasing the accomplishments of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s Cabinet that began last July 4, for providing a venue for the common man to air comments, suggestions and aspirations on the government.
Aside from China, the Philippines and Vietnam, other claimant countries include Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.
The Spratlys, a chain of barren, largely uninhabited islands, reefs and banks in the West Philippine Sea, are believed to be rich in oil and natural gas. It also has busy sea lanes for global trade and commerce.
Coloma cites ‘Pilipinas Natin’ forum as venue for citizenry to air comments, suggestions, aspirations
Presidential Communications and Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma, Jr. cited the Pilipinas Natin forum, a nationally broadcast program showcasing the accomplishments of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s Cabinet that began last July 4, for providing a venue for the common man to air comments, suggestions and aspirations on the government.
The Pilipinas Natin forum is a series of five fora in teleradyo format in the run-up to the President’s SONA (State of the Nation Address).
Each of the five Cabinet clusters (Economic, Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Good Governance and Anti-Corruption and Security, Justice and Peace) had separate forums over the past two weeks to discuss their respective plans and what they have accomplished so far in the past year.
A special feature of the forum was the putting up of several remote broadcast posts around the country that allowed residents to ask panelists questions or air concerns related to the Cabinet cluster on board and receive answers in real time.
In his statement wrapping up the forum that ended Wednesday, Coloma said the forum’s aim of providing the common man a venue to personally interact with government was successfully achieved.“Narinig din natin ang mga saloobin ng mga mamamayan at ng mga lider na local. Sila ang nagpahayag ng kanilang mga hinaing at naghain ng mga panukala mula sa mga komunidad at kanayunan,” Coloma said.
“Ito po ang pinakamahalagang aspeto ng ating talakayan: ang marinig at mailahad ang mga pangangailangan at aspirasyon ng mga mamamayan,” he said.
“Ang Pilipinas Natin po ay para sa lahat ng Pilipino, Coloma stressed.”
Aquino administration implements strategy to combat human trafficking
The Aquino administration is implementing a multi-pronged strategy to combat human trafficking.
Aquino administration implements strategy to combat human trafficking
The Aquino administration is implementing a multi-pronged strategy to combat human trafficking.
During the fifth and last ‘Pilipinas Natin’ Cabinet Cluster Forum on Security Justice and Peace aired over NBN4 and dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos underscored the need for a multi-pronged anti-human trafficking strategy with elements of prevention, protection and prosecution.
Conejos said, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in Persons (IACAT) formulated programs to ensure that human trafficking across the country is put to a stop.
“On the prevention side the first program is awareness. We have inform the public the dangers of human trafficking. We intend to bring the awareness campaign from national down to regional all the way to the barangay level. The involvement of the local government units is critical to the success of the program,” Conejos said.
Conejos said the second program is the establishment of the one-stop processing centers in airports and major seaports.
“We have what we call the one -stop processing centers. We have multi-agency task force to man the one-stop processing centers to look into the documents of the people, this is to ensure that they are not victims of human trafficking. We will not allow any suspicious character or any applicant to get out of the country unless we are sure that they are not victims,” he stressed.
Third, Conejos said, is the effective prosecution to deter human trafficking. The Department of Justice (DoJ) under the helm of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is working doubly hard in building-up cases against human traffickers to ensure their conviction.
“The final point here is the campaign against illegal recruitment. The flipside to that is illegal recruitment kasi ang human trafficking is mostly for prostitution; illegal trafficking for forced labor. We have an intensified campaign for illegal recruitment headed by Vice President Jejomar C. Binay,” he added.
The human trafficking syndicates have tampered passports to smuggle victims out of the country in the past years.
With the issuance of the E-passport, Conejos said it would be difficult to tamper with it due to its added security features. “Ito na ang pinaka-mataas na kalidad na passport na pwede i-issue ng isang bansa under the International Civil Aviation Organization. We are one of the few countries in the world that actually adopted the E-passport,” he noted.
For his part, Armed Forces of the Philippine Spokesperson Commodore Miguel Rodriguez said that the Philippines is working along with Indonesia and Malaysia in fighting human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is a transnational crime. Ang buong mundo is interested to put a stop to this. Sa nangyayari dito sa southern Philippines, we are working together with Indonesia and Malaysia,” he said.
AFP expresses full support to current peace talks
The military fully supports the ongoing peace negotiations with the communist insurgents as well as the Muslim separatists in Mindanao to achieve lasting peace in the country.
“Human trafficking is a transnational crime. Ang buong mundo is interested to put a stop to this. Sa nangyayari dito sa southern Philippines, we are working together with Indonesia and Malaysia,” he said.
AFP expresses full support to current peace talks
The military fully supports the ongoing peace negotiations with the communist insurgents as well as the Muslim separatists in Mindanao to achieve lasting peace in the country.
Navy Commodore Miguel Jose S. Rodriguez, the Deputy Chief of Staff Civil- Military Operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said during the Pilipinas Natin Cabinet Cluster Forum on Security, Justice and Peace on Wednesday that the soldiers are tired of the decades-long war and they want lasting peace soon.
“Kaya itong ating chief chair ng negotiating panel Alex Padilla at saka si chairman [Marvin] Leonen naman sa kabila, have the full support of the Armed Forces and not only us but also the entire nation,” Cmdr. Rodriguez said during the forum which was aired lived over NBN4 and dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
“On the ground, if you notice the combat engagements now are rare. I think people on the ground are the most affected by insurgency and the soldiers are tired of it so we have our full support dito sa ating peace negotiations.”
The soldiers desire peace more than anybody else because they are the ones brought to the front lines whenever there are conflicts, Cmdr. Rodriguez said adding that the country has endured many decades of insurgency and separatism and hasn’t tried earnest negotiation to resolve this problem.
In a separate message during the forum, Atty. Padilla, who is tasked to negotiate with the communists, said the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front have been negotiating for the past 24 years and there’s a need to put closure to it.
The Aquino administration has set a timetable saying that by 2013 the negotiations should be finished.
“I think unang-una kailangan talaga ng sinseridad on both sides. There needs to be a lot of confidence building measures. On the part of the National Democratic Front gusto nila sana makapag-release tayo ng ilang political prisoners. Tayo naman ang hinihingi natin ay yung mga tigil-putukan or mga ceasefires,” he said.
Insurgency is a big concern because it hampers development and growth of a country, he noted.“Kaya kumbinsido ang dalawang panig--ang pamahalaan at ang NPA na the only way is through a negotiated political settlement,” Padilla added.
The government also has an ongoing peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to once and for all achieve a lasting solution to the Muslim separatism in the south. Government negotiators already planned for the possible release of some high-profile MILF detainees as part of confidence building measures.
DFA assures Filipinos of serving them better
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the diplomatic hurdles as well as several crises arising around the world that affects Filipinos makes the department more resolute in serving the people better, according to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos.
DFA assures Filipinos of serving them better
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the diplomatic hurdles as well as several crises arising around the world that affects Filipinos makes the department more resolute in serving the people better, according to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos.
“Itong nangyayari ngayon sa ating bansa yung challenge doon sa Spratlys, sa Middle East sa North Africa almost every month na may mga krisis ay tinatanggap namin. Sa tingin namin sa DFA ito ay hindi unsurmountable challenges these are opportunities for us to serve our people better,” Conejos said during the Pilipinas Natin Cabinet Cluster Forum on Security, Justice and Peace on Wednesday.
“Alam po ninyo sa DFA maliwanag sa amin ang utos ng Pangulo na pagsilbihan ang interes ng sambayanang Pilipino. And we take that mandate seriously,” he said during the forum which was aired lived over NBN4 and dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.
Conejos said an effective foreign policy is always to advance the national interest of the Philippines in the international community.
The Philippines has been facing several diplomatic concerns the latest of which is the continuing row with China over the contested territories in the West Philippine Sea. The instability in the Middle East and North Africa that affects Filipino workers also poses a major concern.
