Head of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, Santa Rosa Representative Dan Fernandez, on Tuesday passed House Bill (HB) 11140 with amendments.
HB 11140 seeks to extend the mandatory retirement age for officers and non-officers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from 56 to 57 years old. This amendment revises Republic Act 6975, also known as the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990.
Fernandez said that the bill would benefit PNP personnel.
“Ang pagpapalawig ng mandatory retirement age para sa PNP ay makakatulong upang matugunan ang pangangailangan ng ating bansa para sa mga pulisya na may malawak na karanasan sa pagpapatupad ng mga batas,” he explained.
The vice chairperson and executive officer of the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM), Atty. Ricardo Bernabe III, expressed support for the motion, emphasizing that the age does not affect police performance.
“So, considering that they are just 57, the measure we are proposing, the NAPOLCOM supports this measure considering that the performance of the police would not be affected by this age,” Bernabe said.
Additionally, Atty. Christian Molina, director for legal affairs at the Civil Service Commission, voiced his support for the bill.
“It is noted that the proposed legislative measure is an effort to align the policy framework of the PNP with the AFP, which recently has an amendment to RA 11939, which similarly amended the compulsory retirement age of military personnel from 56 to 57 years old,” Molina explained.
PNP P/MGen. Edgar Alan Okubo viewed the bill as a way to maximize the expertise of PNP personnel.
“This proposal enables the PNP organization to maximize the knowledge and skills of its personnel gained through years of experience and various trainings in the respective fields of specialization,” Okubo said.
“The proposed revision will give the retirable personnel, who have less than one year before reaching the age of 56, the option to compulsorily retire at the age of 56 subject to the existing provision of Section 75 which is the retirement benefits of RA 6975,” he added.