Solons welcome bill lowering optional retirement age to 56

ACT Teachers party-list Representatives Antonio Tinio and France Castro on Thursday welcomed the recent committee approval of the bill that proposes the lowering of the optional retirement age of government employees to 56 years old.

In a statement, the party-list lawmakers urged their colleagues to immediately pass the still unnumbered measure.

"These civil servants dedicate 20, 30 years of their lives in the service of the nation. It is high time that the government heed their clamor for the option to retire at an earlier age in order for them to enjoy their retirement benefits for as long as possible," Tinio said.

"Since the 16th Congress, we have been pushing for the enactment of the lowering of the optional retirement age of public school teachers," he added.

Castro said that during their formal and informal consultations across the country, public school teachers have consistently demanded to be given the option to retire earlier.

"It is imperative that Congress listen to these government workers who have devoted their lives to honing the minds and nurturing the hearts of our youth, in spite of receiving meager salaries, working in underfunded schools and doing additional, usually unpaid, miscellaneous tasks," she said.

The lawmakers pointed out that the provisions of the measure would not be harmful to the public workforce as most government employees actually prefer to serve for a longer time, even up to the mandatory retirement age of 65 years old so that they would receive maximum retirement benefits.

"While the 65 years old mandatory retirement age remains, government employees should be given the freedom to retire earlier, especially those who are suffering from ailments and are in need of intensive medical attention," they said.

"We urge our fellow lawmakers in both houses of Congress to take concrete steps,  prioritize this measure and ensure its swift enactment," they added.  —LBG, GMA News