L 
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF 
First Regular Session 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
THE REPUBLIC 
1 
Introduced by Senator Edgardo J. Angara 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The life of a judge is indeed a noble one. It is a zealous profession which 
demands nothing less but the highest sense of dedication, honesty and 
commitment . 
The choice of devoting one's life to a career in the Judiciary is not easy. 
The rigorous legal training and techniques one needs to acquire, the daily grind 
of administering congested dockets, the distillation of truths and the balancing of 
competing interests help define the austere life of a judge. More importantly, 
following this less travelled path would require that one forego for himself qnd his 
family, lucrative opportunities which exist outside that choice. 
Sadly, existing legislations seem to fall short in their appreciation of the 
work done by our judges - be it the lower, appellate or highest court of the land. 
The aim of the proposed bill is to upgrade the retirement benefits, as well 
as to fine tune the conditions on the length of service of judges to make them 
more responsive to existing economic conditions and realities. There is a need 
for a law to address this valid concern, so as to secure for the judges their future, 
for them not to be distracted in the administration of justice in the present. 
By providing a competitive retirement scheme commensurate to the 
qualifications of judges, it is also hoped that this would pave the way in keeping 
the steady flow of recruiting the best and brilliant legal minds. 
Though public service is a rewarding experience in itself, it is equally true 
that it should sum to more than psychic rewards in fulfilling one's patriotic duty. 
Upgrading the retirement benefits would be a fitting cap to a more colourful and 
fulfilling career in the Judiciary. For in the end, Justice is about giving one's fair 
share, and it is high time that we give judges their due. 
For the said reasons, the immediate 
sought. 
passage of this bill is earnestly 
EDGARDO J. ANGARA 


. :: 
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
1 
} 
s;-ib 
ij:; 
30 ?3:><ti 
First Regular Session 
1 
1.: 
7 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
S E N A T E  
S. No. 
‘. 
lot34 
/ 
Introduced by Senator Edgardo J. Angara 
AN ACT 
GRANTING ADDITONAL RETIREMENT BENEFITS TO MEMBERS OF THE 
JUDICIARY, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 910, AS 
AMENDED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Section 1 of Republic Act No. 910, as amended is hereby 
amended to read as follows: 
“SECTON I. When justice of the Supreme Court or of the Court of 
Appeals[,] OR a judge of the [Court of First Instance] REGIONAL TRIAL COURT, 
[Industrial Relations], COURT OF TAX APPEALS, [Juvenile and Domestic 
Relations] METROPOLITAN TRIAL COURT, MUNICIPAL TRIAL COURT, [or a 
city or municipal judge] MUNICIPAL CIRCUIT TRlAL COURT, SHARI’A 
DISTRICT COURT, SHARI’A CIRCUIT COURT OR ANY OTHER COURT 
HEREAFTER ESTABLISHED who has rendered at least [twenty (20)] FIFTEEN 
(15) years service in the Judiciary or in any other branch of the Government, or in 
both (a) retires for having attained the age of seventy years or (b) resigns by 
reason of his incapacity to discharge the duties of his office, he shall receive 
during the residue of his natural life, in the manner hereinafter provided, the 
salary PLUS THE HIGHEST MONTHLY AGGREGATE OF TRANSPORTATION, 
LIVING AND REPRESENTATION ALLOWANCES which he was receiving at the 
time of his retirement, or resignation. [And] When a justice of the Supreme 


\ 
- 2 -  
Court or of the Court of Appeals, a judge of [Court of First Instance], the 
1 
2 
REGIONAL TRIAL COURT, [Industrial Relations], [Agrarian Relations], 
COURT OF Tax Appeals, [Juvenile and 
Domestic Relations], 
3 
4 
METROPOLITAN 
TRIAL 
COURT, 
MUNICIPAL 
TRIAL 
COURT, 
MUNICIPAL CIRCUl'h 7'RIAL COURT, SHARI'A DISTRICT COURT, 
5 
6 
SHARI'A CIRCUIT COURT OR ANY OTHER COURT HEREAFTER 
ESTABLISHED, [or a city or municipal judge] has attained the age of sixty 
7 
8 
years and has rendered at least FIFTEEN [twenty] years service in the 
Government, the last five (5) of which shall have been continuously 
9 
I O  
rendered in the Judiciary, he shall likewise be entitled to retire and receive 
11 
during the residue of his naturql life also in the manner hereinafter 
12 
provided, the salary PLUS THE HIGHEST MONTHLY AGGREGATE OF 
TRANS P 0 RTAT I 0 N , L IV I N G AN D REP RES EN TAT IO N ALL 0 WAN C E S 
13 
14 
WHICH he was then receiving: PROVIDED, THAT THOSE WITH LESS 
15 
THAN FIFTEEN (15) YEARS SERVICE IN THE GOVERNMENT OR 
16 
JUDICIARY SHALL BE ENTITLED TO A PRO-RATA MONTHLY 
17 
PENSION COMPUTED AS FOLLOWS: 
NO. OF YEARS IN THE 
BASIC PAY PLUS THE HIGHEST 
GOVERNMENT OR JUDICIARY 
MONTHLY AGGREGATE OF 
----___-----c------------------------------- 
x 
TRANSPORTATION, LIVING AND 
15 YEARS 
REPRESENTATION ALLOWANCES 
18 
19 
20 
21 
It is a'condition of the pension provided for herein that no retiring 
justice or judge of THE AFOREMENTIONED COURTS during the time 
that he is receiving said pension shall appear as counsel before any court 
in any civil case wherein the Government or any subdivision or 
instrumentality thereof is the adverse party, or in any criminal case 
wherein an INCUMBENT OR FORMER officer or employee of the, 
Government is accused of an offense committed in relation to his office, or 
collect any fee for his appearance in any administrative proceeding to 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 


5 c 
I 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
I O  
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
\ 
- 3 -  
maintain an interest adverse to the Government, national, provincial or 
municipal, or to any of its legally constituted officers. It is also a condition 
of the pension provided for herein that when a member of the Judiciary 
entitled to the benefits of this Act shall assume an elective public office, he 
shall not, upon assumption of office and during his term, receive the 
monthly pension OR ANY OF THE ALLOWANCES due him. 
SEC. 2. Section 2 of the same Republic Act is hereby amended to read as 
follows: 
“SEC. 2. 
In case a justice of the Supreme Court or Court of 
Appeals or a judge of the [Court of First Instance] REGIONAL TRIAL 
COURT, [Circuit Criminal Court, Agrarian Relations], COURT OF Tax 
Appeals, [Juvenile and Domestic Relations] METROPOLITAN TRIAL 
COURT, [city or] [mIMUNICIPAL TRIAL [c]COURT, MUNICIPAL CIRCUIT 
TRIAL COURT, SHARI’A DISTRICT COURT, SHARI’A CIRCUIT COURT, 
or any other court hereafter established, dies while in actual service, his 
heirs shall receive a lump sum of five years’ gratuity computed on the 
basis of the highest monthly salary plus the highest monthly aggregate of 
transportation, living and representation allowances received by him as 
such justice or judge [if by reason of his length of service in the 
government he was--dceady entitled to the benefits of this Act] 
IRRESPECTIVE OF HIS LENGTH OF SERVICE IN THE GOVERNMENT. 
LIKEWISE THE PRIMARY HEIRS SHALL BE ENTITLED TO THE BASIC 
SURVIVORSHIP PENSION WHICH IS GUARANTEED FOR THIRTY 
MONTHS AND THE DEPENDENT’S PENSION NOT EXCEEDING FIFTY 
PERCENTUM OF THE BASIC MONTHLY PENSION: PROV/D€D, THAT 
.I. 
THE DECEASED HAD PAID AT LEAST THIRTY-SIX MONTHLY 
CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD IMMEDIATELY 


c 
- 4 -  
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
76 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
PRECEDING HIS DEATH; OR A TOTAL OF AT LEAST ONE HUNDRED 
EIGHTY MONTHLY CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN THE FIVE-YEAR 
PERIOD IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING HIS DEATH, OR A TOTAL OF AT 
LEAST ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY MONTHLY 'CONTRIBUTIONS PRIOR 
TO HIS DEATH: PROVIDED, FURTHER, THAT AT THE END OF THE 
THIRTY MONTHS GUARANTEED PERIOD, THE SURVIVORSHIP 
PENSION SHALL BE PAID AS FOLLOWS: 
(A) WHEN THE 
DEPENDENT SPOUSE 
IS THE 
ONLY 
SURVIVOR, HEISHE SHALL RECEIVE THE BASIC SURVIVORSHIP 
PENSION F9R LIFE OR UNTIL HE/SHE REMARRIES; 
(B) WHEN 
ONLY 
DEPENDENT 
CHILDREN 
ARE 
THE 
SURVIVORS, THEY SHALL BE ENTITLED TO THE SURVIVORSHIP, 
PENSION FOR AS LONG AS THEY ARE QUALIFIED; 
(C) WHEN THE SURVIVORS ARE THE DEPENDENT SPOUSE 
AND THE DEPENDENT CHILDREN, THEY SHALL BE ENTITLED TO 
THE 
SURVIVORSHIP 
PENSION 
SO 
LONG AS 
THERE 
ARE 
DEPENDENT CHILDREN AND, THEREAFTER, THE SURVIVING 
SPOUSE SHALL RECEIVE THE BASIC SURVIVORSHIP PENSION FOR 
LIFE OR UNTIL HElSHE REMARRIES. [The same benefits provided for in 
this section l.l, shall be extended to any incumbent justice of the Supreme 
Court or the Court of Appeals, or judge of the Court of First Instance, 
Circuit Criminal Court, Agrarian Relations, Tax Appeals, Juvenile and 
Domestic Relations, or city or municipal court, or any other court hereafter 
established, as the case may be, who, without having attained the length 
of service required in Section 1 hereof, shall have to retire upon reaching 
the age of sixty five years, or upon other causes, such as illness or 
permanent physical disability, to be certified by the tribunal to which the 


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
\ 
- 5 -  
justice concerned belongs, or by the Supreme Court in the case of an 
incumbent judge of the Court of First Instance, and other similar courts of 
records, or a city or municipal judge, which render him incapacitated to 
continue in his position.] 
SEC. 3. Section 3 of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: 
"SEC. 3. Upon retirement, a justice of the Supreme Court or of the 
Court of Appeals, of a judge of the [Court of First Instance] REGIONAL 
TRIAL COURT, [Circuit Criminal Court, Agrarian Relations], COURT OF 
Tax Appeals, [Juvenile and Domestic Relations], METROPOLITAN TRIAL 
COURT, MCJNICIPAL TRIAL COURT, [city or] [mIMUNICIPAL CIRCUIT 
TRIAL [c]COURT, SHARI'A DISTRICT COURT, SHARI'A CIRCUIT 
COURT or any other court hereafter established shall be automatically 
entitled to a lump sum payment of five years SALARY [gratuity] computed 
on the basis of the highest monthly salary plus the highest monthly 
aggregate of transportation, living and representation allowances he was 
receiving on the date of his retirement[.] AND THEREAFTER UPON 
SURVIVAL "4FTER THE EXPIRATION OF FIVE YEARS, TO FURTHER 
ANNUITY PAYABLE MONTHLY DURING THE RESIDUE OF HIS 
NATURAL LIFE PURSUANT TO SECTION 1 HEREOF: Provided, 
however, That if the reason for the retirement be any permanent disability 
contracted during his incumbency in office and prior to the date of his 
retirement, he shall receive [only] a gratuity equivalent to ten years salary 
and THE allowances aforementioned [within further annuity payable 
monthly during the rest of the retiree's natural life.]: PROVIDED, 
FURTHER, THAT SHOULD THE RETIREMENT BE WITH THE 
ATTENDANCE 
OF 
ANY 
PARTIAL 
PERMANENT 
DISABILITY 
CONTRACTED DURING HIS INCUMBENCY AND PRIOR TO THE DATE 
I I * .  


1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
+I8 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
- 6 -  
OF RETIREMENT, HE SHALL RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL GRATUITY 
EQUIVALENT TO TWO (2) YEARS LUMP SUM THAT HE IS ENTITLED 
TO UNDER THIS ACT: PROWDED, FURTHER, THAT IF THE JUSTICE 
SURVIVES AFTER TEN (IO) YEARS OR SEVEN (7) YEARS, AS THE 
CASE MAY BE, HE SHALL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE A MONTHLY 
ANNUITY AS COMPUTED UNDER THIS ACT DURING THE RESIDUE 
OF HIS NATURAL LIFE PURSUANT TO SECTION 1 HEREOF: 
PROVIDED, FlNALLY, THAT THOSE WHO HAVE RETIRED WITH THE 
ATTENDANCE OF ANY PARTIAL PERMANENT DISABILITY FIVE 
YEARS PRIOR TO THE EFFECTIVITY OF THIS ACT SHALL BE 
ENTITLED TO THE SAME BENEFITS PROVIDED HEREIN. 
“SEC. 3-A. ALL PENSION BENEFITS OF RETIRED MEMBERS 
OF THE JUDICIARY SHALL BE AUTOMATICALLY INCREASED 
WHENEVER THERE IS AN INCREASE IN THE SALARY OF THE SAME 
POSITION FROM WHICH HE RETIRED. 
“SEC. 3-B. 
THE BENEFITS UNDER THIS ACT SHALL BE 
GRANTED TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE RETIRED PRIOR TO THE 
EFFECTIVITY OF THIS ACT. 
SEC. 4, Such amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act is hereby 
appropriated out of 
.* any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated. 
SEC. 5. 
All laws, decrees, orders, rules or regulations or parts thereof 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SEC. 6. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following the completion of its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,