House approves bill increasing retirement age for policemen to 57

The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would raise the mandatory retirement age for members of the Philippine National Police from 56 to 57 on third and final reading.

House Bill 8702 received 233 yes votes, zero negative votes, and one abstention during the plenary session on Tuesday.

The bill seeks to amend Section 39 of Republic Act 6975 or the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990.

House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte First District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, one of the bill's authors, said raising the mandatory retirement age is "both timely and necessary, addressing several critical objectives.”

“Increasing the retirement age allows the PNP to maximize the government's investment in training and professionalizing its officers,” Congressman Marcos, son of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said.

“By retaining experienced personnel for an additional year, the organization benefits from their specialized expertise and institutional knowledge. This continuity is vital for the leadership and stability of law enforcement operations,” he added.

Marcos said such adjustment would also be in line with the passage of Republic Act 11939 in 2023, which raised the compulsory retirement age for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from 56 to 57. — VBL, GMA News