Press Release
October 9, 2018

Survivorship benefits for OSG officials get Senate OK

The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill granting survivorship benefits to families of officials from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).

Senate Bill No. 453, which seeks to upgrade the retirement benefits for OSG officials, was authored and sponsored by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, chair of the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation.

"These benefits are intended to recognize and honor members of the Office of the Solicitor General, many of whom have rendered decades, if not a lifetime, of service to our people, and, hopefully, assist their family members who will be left behind in their passing," Trillanes said.

The measure was approved by the Senate with 20 affirmative votes, zero negative vote and no abstention.

Trillanes said that under SBN 453, survivorship benefits would be granted to the surviving "legitimate spouse or dependent children" of a deceased retired Solicitor General, Assistant Solicitor General, Senior State Solicitor, or State Solicitor of the Office of the Solicitor General.

"The above-mentioned immediate family members shall be entitled to receive, on a monthly basis, all the retirement benefits due to the OSG official at the time of death under the provisions of the applicable retirement laws then in force," he said.

He added that the dependents shall continue to receive such retirement benefits "until said surviving legitimate spouse remarries or when the dependent children marry or comes of age."

Trillanes said that this bill is aimed at addressing gaps in the law. He noted that under Republic Act 9417, OSG officials have the same rank as members of the judiciary and therefore must enjoy the same allowances and benefits. While the latter are provided with survivorship benefits under Republic Act 9946, no existing law grants OSG officials the same benefits.

"It is just right that these OSG officials must be afforded the same benefits being received by the members of the judiciary, as a way of recognizing the efforts and sacrifices they have rendered to the government and to our people, " he said.

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