NAPOLCOM ensures benefits to cops amid 'double compensation' issue

The National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) will exhaust all possible and legal ways to ensure the continuous grant of welfare benefits to all Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel and their beneficiaries.

“We assure our police pensioners and PNP beneficiaries that the NAPOLCOM will exhaust all possible options and legal means to ensure that the Commission can continuously grant well-deserved benefits for the welfare and interest of our police officers who risk and sacrifice their lives to protect the people and the country,” NAPOLCOM executive officer Rogelio Casurao said in a press statement on Tuesday.

Casurao bared that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has temporarily suspended the payment of PNP welfare benefit claims being administered by the NAPOLCOM.

The NAPOLCOM is still waiting for the resolution of its reply and comment submitted to the DBM and the Commission on Audit (COA), respectively.

On November 19, 2019, the DBM ordered DILG Secretary Eduardo Año to ensure that there is no payment of double compensation in the form of death and disability benefits given to members of the police organization.

In response, the NAPOLCOM submitted a reply last December 27, 2019, which cited the legal bases for the separate payment of police benefits under the NAPOLCOM-administered PNP Welfare Benefits Program and under the PNP Retirement Benefits Program, noting that these benefits do not constitute double compensation.

In relation to this, the COA issued an Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) on January 14 stating that the payment of the same police benefits by the NAPOLCOM and the PNP constitutes double compensation.

The COA further suggested for the immediate stoppage of payment of all PNP welfare benefits in the central office as well as in all regional offices of NAPOLCOM.

According to Casurao, the NAPOLCOM-administered PNP Welfare Benefits Program grants the payment of gratuity pay and monthly pension to PNP retirees who were permanently incapacitated while in the performance of duty (TPPD Benefits) as well as to the beneficiaries of PNP members who died in line of duty (Death Benefits).

Casurao said the PNP does not give Death and TPPD Benefits, noting that it only provides sickness benefits.

Casurao added that only NAPOLCOM grants burial pay to PNP beneficiaries.

On the other hand, the PNP Retirement Benefits Program gives all police retirees gratuity pay or pension, which depends on their length of service and whether their retirement is due to compulsory or optional retirement, disability or death.

In a separate statement, PNP spokesman Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac said the temporary suspension does not have any effect on the PNP Morale and Welfare Program.

"It is only the separate NAPOLCOM-administered complete disability and death benefits that have been suspended by the DBM upon the recommendation of COA," Banac said.

The NAPOLCOM has been administering the death and disability benefits for the uniformed members of the police since the enactment of Republic Act No. 4864 on September 8, 1966. Police Act of 1966) while the PNP started to administer separate police benefits on February 26, 1992 pursuant to Republic Act No. 6975. —KBK/RSJ, GMA News