Aumentado bills endorsed to Senate

By JUNE S. BLANCO

BARRING any hitches, barangay officials will get “retirement” benefits while interconnected roads in the island town of Pres. Garcia town will soon be national roads.

Rep. Erico Aumentado (Bohol, 2nd District) said the Lower House has approved both bills and endorsed them to the Senate.

House Bill 6567 seeks to provide barangay officials including tanods, members of the lupon ng tagapamayapa, health and day care workers with a lump sum retirement pay equivalent to one year’s honorarium and to amend Section 393 of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991. Sec. 393 provides for the basic honorarium only.

The lump sum retirement pay, however, is up to P100,000 only, to be taken from the barangay retirement fund. A retiree qualifies to claim it when he or she reaches 60 years of age with a minimum of nine years in service at the time of retirement.

The bill also proposes to create the Barangay Retirement Fund, to be taken from one percent of the share from the national government under Section 284 of the Code and to amend that section. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is tasked to administer and ensure the appropriate disbursement of the fund.

On the other hand, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), in coordination with DILG, will issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement the law.

Co-authors of the bill are Reps. Suarez, Arnaiz, Evardone, Olivarez, Angara, Ejercityo, Syjuco, Lazatin, Teodoro, M. Sarmiento, M. Magsaysay, Del Mar, Dayanghirang, Enverga, Baguilat, Acop, Calixto-Rubiano, R. Rodriguez, M. Rodriguez, Daza, Quisumbing, Castelo, Salimbangon, Valencia, Benitez, Bonoan-David, Colmenares, Casiño, Herrera-Dy, A. Go, Maliksi, Loyola, Cabaluna, Duavit, Co, Batocabe, Garbin, Climaco, Avance-Fuentes, C.J. Lopez, Cruz-Gonzales, Tañada, Cerafica and Palmones.

Meanwhile, the Lower House also approved the bill seeking conversion of the Popoo-Tugas, Pitogo-Aguining and Villa Milagrosa-San Vicente-Pitogo roads into national roads, with corresponding funding.

When approved, House Bill 6569 tasks the public works and highways secretary to include in that department’s program the improvement, repair and maintenance for the Pres. Garcia roads and include the funding for the same in the annual General Appropriations Act.