Senator Ronald Dela Rosa on Sunday expressed concerns over proposed pension reforms for military and uniformed personnel (MUP) causing a “mass exodus” for defense and law enforcement personnel.

“My concern is not so much that their salary will be reduced because it will be used for contributing to pension funds. My concern is that we will have a weak national defense and weak law enforcement community because this mass exodus will greatly decrease the number of our MUP,” Dela Rosa, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs told dzBB.

“(Finance Secretary Benjamin) Diokno said there would be a fiscal collapse. But if they force this law to be passed, we will have an even worse fiscal collapse because our soldiers and police will go on a mass exodus. Does the government have enough funds to give them their separation pay at this very instant?” he added.

“If all of them retire, the government will have to pay trillions,” he said.

He also said the proposed pension reforms could discourage people from joining uniformed personnel such as soldiers, police officers, jail guards, and firefighters.

“This is a huge concern for our national security. Not just because our seasoned, experienced, well-trained soldiers will leave the service and be replaced by rookies,” he said.

“The problem is will they be encouraged to join knowing that those in the service have all left? That would be a big discouragement on their part. What will happen to our defense? What will happen to our law enforcement?” he added.

Dela Rosa, who was the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, said economic managers have to consult the MUP on the pension reforms to address their fears.

“We have to meet halfway because this is for our country. We want our government not to have a hard time paying the pension but at the same time, we don’t want to sacrifice our defense and security because of this,” he said.

He urged economic managers to review the pension reforms carefully and not to rush its passage.

“We need to study it carefully. To our economic advisers, don’t be in a rush to have this passed. We need to have a consultation so that we can reach an understanding,” Dela Rosa said,

Senate Bill No. 284 which seeks to provide a unified system for the separation, retirement, and pension of uniformed personnel was filed in July by Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

It is now pending at the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security.

Among the reforms introduced in the bill are the mandatory contributions to fund pensions, discontinuation of automatic indexation, computation of pension benefits at-rank upon retirement, adjustment of pensionable age, creating an MUP Trust Fund Committee to oversee the MUP pension system, and designating of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) as the administrator of the MUP pension system. Jaspearl Tan/DMS