Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
Second Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representatives Karlo Alexei B. Nograles and Jericho Jonas
B. Nograles

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Section 8, Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution provides that “The State
shall, from time to time, review to upgrade the pensions and other benefits due
to retirees of both the government and private sectors.” Pursuant to this
constitutional mandate, this bill seeks to grant survivorship benefits to the
surviving legitimate spouse of the deceased retired chairperson, commissioners
and labor arbiters of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).

Section 4 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9347 provides that “The Chairman
and members of the Commission shall have the same rank, receive an annual
salary equivalent to and be entitled to the same allowances, retirement and
benefits as those of the Presiding Justice and Associate Justices of the Court of
Appeals, respectively. Labor Arbiters shall have the same rank, receive an
annual salary equivalent to and be entitled to the same allowances, retirement
and other benefits and privileges as those of the judges of the regional trial
courts. In no case however, shall the provision of this Article result in the
diminution of the existing salaries, allowances and benefits of the
aforementioned officials.”

With the enactment of RA 9946, additional retirement and survivorship
benefits were granted to members of the Judiciary and their beneficiaries.
However, the chairperson, commissioners and labor arbiters of the NLRC are
not covered by the increase in retirement and survivorship benefits.


Through this bill, we seek to rectify the seemingly skewed situation where appellate
court justices and NLRC commissioners, as well as regional trial court judges and labor
arbiters, although considered to be of the same rank, do not enjoy the same retirement
and survivorship benefits.

Given the foregoing, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

KARL@ ALEXEI B. NOGRALES i JONAS B. NOGRALES


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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Seventeenth Congress
Second Regular Session

7450

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Representatives Karlo Alexei B. Nograles and Jericho Jonas
B. Nograles

AN ACT
GRANTING SURVIVORSHIP BENEFITS TO THE SURVIVING
LEGITIMATE SPOUSE OF A DECEASED CHAIRPERSON,
COMMISSIONER OR LABOR ARBITER OF THE NATIONAL LABOR
RELATIONS COMMISSION

Be in enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Survivorship Benefits. - Upon the death of the retired
chairperson, commissioner or labor arbiter of the NLRC, if such chairperson,
commissioner or labor arbiter has retired, or was eligible for optional retirement
at the time of death, the surviving legitimate spouse of the deceased is entitled
to receive, on a monthly basis, all the retirement benefits that the deceased
chairperson, commissioner or labor arbiter of the NLRC would have received at
the time of demise. The surviving legitimate spouse shall continue to receive
such retirement benefits until the death or remarriage of the said surviving

spouse.


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SEC. 2. Funding. - The amount necessary for the initial implementation
of this Act shall be charged against the savings of the NLRC for the current
year. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued
implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.

SEC. 3. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, rules and
regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are
hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 4. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,