Sunday, May 11, 2008 DND asks for P542-M for military retirees
DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has requested a P542 million supplemental budget to pay the retirement benefits of thousands of retirees from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
A statement released by the defense department on Saturday said, Teodoro made the request from the budget department on the instructions of President Gloria Arroyo during a meeting with the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO) last month to align the veterans' pension.
Teodoro said the requested amount will go to officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces, representing outstanding old age pension of AFP retirees by yearend.
“We have forwarded the letter already to the President requesting a supplemental budget of P542 million in order for us to answer the deficit within the year to make our pensions current already,” said Teodoro.
Teodoro initially announced his request during a fellowship meeting of the AGFO last Wednesday inside Camp Aguinaldo. AGFO, the association of all active and retired military and police generals, has about 800 members at present.
“And we have to follow that up in our budget proposal for this year because concomitantly for next year there will be a slight increase in our pension scheme within the budget for pension,” said Teodoro. ((VR)
