MANILA, Philippines – A bill that would give Office of the Ombudsman employees the same retirement benefits as their counterparts in trial courts and the Court of Appeals was approved by the House of Representatives on Monday, November 20.

Voting 231-0-0, the House approved on 3rd and final reading House Bill Number 6578 or the “Retirement Law of the Office of the Ombudsman.”

The passage of the measure comes just as 3 of the Ombudsman’s prosecutors left the office to be Regional Trial Court (RTC) judges.

A source from the Ombudsman said a “lack of retirement package” was among the reasons why the office, mandated to pursue corruption cases against government workers, especially the high-ranking ones, has always had a hard time filling its quota for lawyers.

The bill covers the Ombudsman, deputies, special prosecutors, and all officials and employees from salary grade 26 to 29 who “perform legal, prosecution, investigation, and corruption prevention functions.”

Retirement and other benefits will be as follows:

• Ombudsman, same as those of the Court of Appeals Presiding Justice 
• Deputies and Special Prosecutors, same as those of Associate Justices from the Court of Appeals 
• All other officials and employees covered by the act will get the same retirement and other benefits in regional, municipal and municipal circuit trial courts with the same salary grades

Read the bill in full, including the benefits that Ombudsman employees will receive should it be passed into law, here:

– Rappler.com