Senate
of ih f A ftrrto rj*
V>>
SEV EN TEEN TH  C O N G RESS O F T H E  
]
REPU BLIC O F T H E  PH ILIPPIN ES 
]
F irs t R egu la r Session  
]
SEN ATE
1287
S.B . No.
‘16 
DEC 15 P2 55
In tro d u c e d  b y  SEN. SHERW IN T. GATCHALIAN
AN ACT
LOW ERING T H E  COM PULSORY AND OPTIONAL 
R E TIR EM EN T AGE O F PUBLIC SCH O O L TEA C H ER S
EXPLANATORY NOTE
‘W hat nobler em ploym ent, o r m ore v alu ab le to th e  sta te , 
th a n  th a t o f th e  m an who in s tru c ts  th e  risin g  
g e n e ra tio n ? ”
- M arcus T ullius Cicero
T he im p o rta n t role of te a c h e rs in n a tio n -b u ild in g  c a n n o t be o v erem p h asized . 
T e a ch e rs do n o t m erely  im p a rt know ledge to th e ir s tu d e n ts , th ey  also  b u ild  u p  eth ical 
p rin cip les th a t g u ide th em  in beco m in g  resp o n sib le  citizen s of tom orrow .
Sadly, p u b lic school te a c h e rs  in th e  P h ilip p in es face a  n u m b e r of c h allen g es th a t 
m ak e it m o re difficult for th em  to p rac tic e  th e ir p ro fessio n . T hey a re  fo u n d  to be 
overw orked b a se d  on th e  follow ing criteria: 1) pup il: te a c h e r ratio , 2) te a c h in g  h o u rs  p e r 
d ay  a n d  3) te a c h in g  h o u rs  p e r y ear. W ith long w orking h o u rs  a n d  larg er c la ss sizes, 
p u b lic school te a c h e rs a re  u n lik ely  to h av e th e  tim e, en erg y  a n d  o p p o rtu n ity  for


p ro fessio n al d e v e lo p m e n t.1 B e cau se of th e s e  co n d itio n s, p u b lic school te a c h e rs a re  
ex p o sed  to o c c u p atio n a l h a z a rd s a n d  p h y sical s tre s s  th a t u su a lly  lead  to h e a lth  
p ro b lem s even before th ey  re a c h  th e  c u rre n t re tire m e n t age.
In co n sid e ratio n  of th e ir in v alu ab le service, it is h ig h  tim e we rew ard  o u r p u b lic 
school te a c h e rs w ith a  low ered re tire m e n t age in o rd er th a t th ey  m ay  get th e  c h a n c e  to 
explore o th e r w orthw hile p u rs u its  in th e  y e a rs th a t th ey  still c an , w ith th e  b en efits th a t 
th ey  h av e tirelessly  toiled a n d  scrim p ed  on. H ence, w e seek  th e  im m ed iate p a ssa g e  of 
th is  bill to sh o w  su p p o rt a n d  e n c o u ra g e m e n t to o u r n d b le te a c h e rs.
SH ERW IN T . GAT
1 http://www.philippinesbasiceducation.us/2013/05/teacher-statistics-for-philippines.html.


SEV EN TEEN TH  CO N G RESS O F T H E  
]
REPU BLIC O F T H E  PH IL IPPIN E S 
]
F irst R eg u lar S ession  
J
SEN ATE
S.B . No. 1287
^@'1 
Renats
of tiif A tc m a rp
•16 DEC 15 P2 55
RECEIVES If:
In tro d u c e d  b y  SEN . SH ERW IN T . GATCHALIAN * 1 2
AN ACT
LOW ERING TH E COM PULSORY AND OPTIONAL 
R E TIR EM EN T AGE O F PUBLIC SCH O O L TEA C H ER S
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assem bled:
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SECTION. 1. S h o rt T itle -  T his A ct sh a ll b e k n o w n  a s th e  “New Retirement Age
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o f Public School Teachers Act”.
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SEC. 2. C om pulsory R etirem en t Age -  T he c o m p u lso iy  re tire m e n t age for all 
p u b lic  school te a c h e rs sh a ll be u p o n  th e  a tta in m e n t of th e  age of sixty (60). If a  p u b lic 
school te a c h e r h a s  less th a n  15 y e a rs of service, h e m ay  b e allow ed to c o n tin u e  in th e  
service u n til h e  re a c h e s th e  age of sixty-five (65), in a c co rd a n ce  w ith ex istin g  civil service 
ru le s a n d  reg u latio n s.
SEC 3. R etirem en t B enefits -  R etirem en t b en efits m ay, u p o n  election of th e  
retiree, b e received in th e  follow ing m an n e r:
(1) lu m p  su m  p a y m e n t, a s defined u n d e r th e  R.A. 8291 or th e  “Government 
Service Insurance System Act of 1997”, p ay ab le a t th e  tim e of retire m e n t, p lu s 
a n  old-age p e n sio n  b enefit eq u al to th e  b a sic  m o n th ly  p e n sio n , p ay ab le
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m o n th ly  for life, s ta rtin g  u p o n  th e  ex p iratio n  of th e  five (5)-year g u a ra n te e d  
p erio d  covered by th e  lu m p  su m ; or
(2) c a sh  p a y m e n t eq u iv alen t to eig h teen  (18) m o n th s of h is b a sic  m o n th ly  
p e n sio n , p lu s m o n th ly  p e n sio n  for life p ay ab le on th e  first m o n th  follow ing 
th e  d a te  of retire m e n t.
SEC . 4. -  O p tional R etirem en t Age -  A p u b lic school te a c h e r w ho re tire s from  
th e  service sh a ll b e en title d  to th e  re tire m e n t b en efits in th e  p reced in g  p a ra g ra p h  
pro v id ed  th a t;
1) h e  h a s  re n d e re d  a t le a st fifteen (15) y e a rs of service;
2) h e  is a t le a st sixty (55) y e a rs of age a t th e  tim e of retire m e n t; a n d
3) h e is n o t receiving a  m o n th ly  p e n sio n  for a  p e rm a n e n t to tal d isab ility  b enefit 
u n d e r R.A. 8291 or th e  “Government Service Insurance System Act of 1 9 9 7 ”
SEC. 5. Im plem enting R ules a n d  R egulations. - W ithin sixty (60) d ay s u p o n  
th e  ap p ro v al of th is Act, th e  G o v ern m en t Service In su ra n c e  S y stem  sh all, in 
c o n su lta tio n  w ith th e  v ario u s sta k e h o ld e rs, fo rm u late th e  ru le s a n d  reg u la tio n s 
n e c e ssa ry  for th e  p ro p er im p lem e n ta tio n  of th is  Act.
SEC . 6. R epealing C lause. - 
All law s, a c ts, p re sid e n tia l d ecrees, executive 
o rd ers, a d m in istra tiv e  o rd ers, ru le s a n d  reg u la tio n s, or p a rts  th ereo f, in c o n siste n t w ith 
o r c o n tra ry  to th e  p ro v isio n s of th is Act a re  h e re b y  a m en d ed , m odified or rep ealed  
accordingly,
SEC. 7. E ffectivity - T his Act sh a ll ta k e  effect fifteen (15) d ay s after its p u b licatio n  
in a t le a st tw o (2) n e w sp a p e rs of g en eral circu latio n .
A pproved