Photo Release

On IBC-13’s unpaid retirement benefits: Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito defends the proposed 2024 budget of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) and its attached agencies and government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) amounting to P2.47 billion during the budget deliberation on Monday, November 13, 2023. Ejercito said the two GOCCs under the Office of the Press Secretary, the People’s Television Network and the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC-13), the government subsidy is P453.9 million, P250 million of which will go to pay the unpaid retirement benefits of IBC-13 employees. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III recalled that for this year, the Senate inserted P500 million for the retirees but only P125.159 million was released. For next year, the entire P250 million subsidy will go to the retirees. “We were hoping that this problem which has been swept under the rug for so long (will be solved),” Ejercito said. “(The IBC-13 officials) want to get over it and done with this issue with the retirees so that they can already plan better. Because not until this problem is solved, the IBC-13 cannot really plan on how they will be able to be viable and how they can be feasible and to be able to earn,” he added. (Senate PRIB Photos)