The government owes the military pensioners P14.207 billion from 2000 to 2008 and P3.684 billion accumulated from 2009 to 2012
Over P17.89
billion ($400 million) in unpaid benefits and pension differentials were
ordered paid to retired military officers who are members of the
Conference-Assembly for Unity and Solidarity of Association of Armed Forces of
the Philippines Retirees and Pensioners – National Coordinating Council (CAUSA-AFPRP-NCC).
In a Commission
on Audit (COA) decision released on Friday, May 8, the Department of National
Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were ordered to
make an alpha list of the military pensioners supposed to receive their
benefits as early as 15 years ago.
The government
owed the pensioners P14.207 billion ($320 million) from 2000 to 2008 and P3.684
billion ($80 million) accumulated from 2009 to 2012.
COA cited a
collective failure on the part of the legislative and executive branches of
government for the unpaid differentials starting 2000 to 2012 to AFP retirees.
"The
responsibility to ensure that they receive whatever is due them does not lie
upon the DND and AFP alone, but also that of the Office of the President, the
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Congress," read the COA
decision.
In their defense,
the DND and AFP argued before COA that it was Congress' lack of appropriation
for the retirees that caused the delay in the payment of benefits for the
military pensioners.
The COA said the
military's budget proposal for each fiscal year should then reflect such
pensioners' benefits.
The COA said
"AFP retirees, pensioners and beneficiaries were left to linger inasmuch
as their requests for payment of arrearages went unheeded and the same remained
unpaid."
Following the
decision, the DND and the AFP would have to identify and list all retirees due
the pension differentials and submit it to the DBM and the AFP auditor.
While the money
claim by the military retirees was granted by COA, it decided against granting
their request for payment of their attorneys' fees totalling around P4.47
billion ($100 million) incurred during the claim.
COA said the
"petitioner's prayer for the award of expenses and attorney’s fees cannot
be sustained considering that it is beyond this Commission’s mandate, not being
a regular court of justice, to grant the same."
http://www.rappler.com/nation/92764-military-retirees-win-coa-money-claim
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