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Thursday, October 05, 2006
Senator fears instability within military due to abolition of pension agency (7:55 p.m.)
MANILA -- Senator Rodolfo Biazon on Thursday said there is a need for Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz to explain to the public what he meant when he said he is going to stop the operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Retirement and Separation Benefits System (RSBS).
Biazon, chairman of the Senate defense committee, said the RSBS was created by a presidential decree in 1972 and therefore it is part of the laws of the land and it cannot just be dissolved by the executive department
Former President Ferdinand Marcos established the RSBS by virtue of Presidential Decree 361 to establish a self-sustaining funding mechanism that would cater to pension and separation requirements of the soldiers. Marcos provided P200 million as seed money for the inception of RSBS.
"It will take a legislative action if indeed the decision is to dissolve the RSBS," Biazon said.
This, as the military said on Thursday that the military will hold an information campaign to explain to AFP personnel the circumstances behind the RSBS abolition and related plans.
In a press conference, Biazon told reporters that he had received a lot of text messages from soldiers asking what will happen to their contributions and what about those who had been found guilty in the mismanagement of the RSBS fund. (CPB/VR/Sunnex) |
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