Bill lowering optional retirement age to benefit 1-M gov’t workers

MANILA – More than 1 million workers in the bureaucracy would soon be given a choice to retire early with the passage of a bill lowering the optional retirement age for government employees from 60 to 56 on final reading, Speaker Martin Romualdez said on Tuesday, January 31.

Romualdez said many employees would benefit from this proposed law, noting that retiring early would enhance their well- being.

“They can opt to quit working, receive their benefits, do other activities and enjoy life in retirement with their loved ones even before they become senior citizens,” Romualdez said. “It’s surely more fun to live life without work-related stress.”

During Tuesday’s plenary session, the House of Representatives approved on the third and final reading House Bill 206 with 268 affirmative votes, one negative vote and one abstention.

The bill seeks to amend Section 13-A of Republic Act 8291, otherwise known as the “Government Service Insurance (GSIS) Act of 1997”.

It states that a government worker-GSIS member would be entitled to retirement benefits if he is at least 56 years of age at the time of retirement, has rendered service for at least 15 years and he is not receiving a monthly pension for permanent total disability.

Retirement is compulsory at 65 years.

The proposed law would put the rest of government workers at par with members of the military and the police, whose mandatory retirement age is 56.

ACT Teachers Partylist Representative France Castro, principal author of the bill, said rigorous work and the physical and