Not all MUPs are against pension system reform: Zubiri
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said not all members of the military and uniform personnel (MUP) are against amending their pension system which will require them to contribute a certain amount from their salary to their pension.
In an interview with dzBB, Zubiri said that Senate Committee on National Defense chairman Senator Jinggoy Estrada told him that in his meeting with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and Bureau of Fire Protection that their members were willing to contribute to their pensions.
Zubiri said senators are still discussing the amount that will be deducted from their monthly salary for the contribution.
“Right now the magic number is five percent. Some are still against deducting five percent of their salary but some have already accepted it. When AFP Chief of Staff General Andres Centino and I talked, he said that he and the other officers have agreed to do this,” he said.
According to Zubiri, if the MUP pension system will not be amended this year, then the government will have to allocate more funds next year to their pension than the actual budget of the PNP and AFP.
Zubiri did not give a number.
“That means that the tax that you pay that is deducted from your salary, the withholding tax, will go to their pensions. It’s not sustainable because what happens is that billions of pesos from our national budget will be allocated for pensions. You know, in the coming year, if not this year, next year, by 2025 the amount of their pension will be higher than the actual budget of the PNP and AFP,” he said.
Zubiri said this means '' the budget for modernization, budget for purchasing arms to modernize our military, and for the salary of the incumbent soldiers will be lower than the pension which is paid by the government yearly.''
''This is because they don’t have somewhere to put their pension funds like the GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) and SSS (Social Security System) ... If the military has something like that which has sustainable management, that military-style GSIS will earn income and as a result, their yearly pension will not come from our tax. That’s what we are aiming for,” he added.
He said they will create an MUP fund which will be their own version of SSS and GSIS.
Zubiri said he met Army chief Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner and the Philippine Navy but he hasn't spoken to the Air Force.
“''But overall, they have given me positive feedback. They understand the situation. I think the overall sentiment is that they really need to make a military version of the GSIS or SSS which is acceptable for them. It's just a matter of how much should be deducted, how big the amount should be, and of course if they can utilize their assets to provide additional funds for their version of SSS. So this will be called an MUP fund,” Zubiri said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
