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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House BillNo. 0423

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. GARY C. ALEJANO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Former sidents and Vice Presidents do not cease in performing many of their public

responsibilities upon retirement. As former highest-ranking officers of the land, they have post-
presidential and post-vice presidential duties to perform, among which are responding to post-
presidency and post-vice presidency mail and invitations and attending to speaking engagements.
In cognizance of these social obligations, existing pieces of legislation grant former presidents
and their widows/widowers certain benefits and privileges. Aside from franking privilege,
Republic Act No. 5059 mandates that a former president shall receive an annual pension of
40,000.00, while Republic Act No. 2087 allows for the former president's widow/widower to be
entitled to an annual pension of P24,000.00.

The extent and coverage of said measures, however, is not enough to sufficiently respond to the
unique position of said former high officials in the public sphere even after they leave their post.
At present, former presidents in the country receive a monthly pension of P8,000.00." In the
United States, former presidents, under the Former Presidents Act of 1958, receive a monthly
pension equivalent to the salary of a department secretary, among many other benefits. This was
enacted to discourage them from being forced into activities deemed unsuitable for a former head
of state. Moreover, said measures cater to the needs of former Presidents alone, excluding former
Vice Presidents.

This measure seeks to assist our former Presidents and Vice Presidents in the performance of
their informal, ceremonial, but, nonetheless, public duties, through the grant of benefits and
privileges to them and/or their surviving spouses, in effect expanding Republic Act No. 5059 and
repealing Republic Act No. 2087.

It is hoped that the passage of this measure shall honor our former state leaders with the benefits
and privileges commensurate to their former post as the highest officers in the land, and will
maintain the dignity of the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President by
ensuring that the former occupants thereof are properly taken cared of.

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

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Villanueva. 2014. So you still want to be President of the Phi? Retrieved from
.com/opinion/2014/03/21/13033:



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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 5423

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. GARY C. ALEJANO

AN ACT
GRANTING BENEFITS AND PRIVILEGES TO FORMER PRESIDENTS AND VICE
PRESIDENTS OF THE PHILIPPINES OR THEIR SURVIVING SPOUSES, AMENDING
FOR THIS PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 5059, REPEALING REPUBLIC ACT NO.
2087, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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

SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Former Presidents and Vice
Presidents’ Benefits Act of 2017”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. ~ It is hereby declared the policy of the state to maintain
the dignity of the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice President and to honor
former presidents and vice presidents of the Republic by granting them certain benefits and
privileges that will allow them to perform the duties and functions often required of a former
President or Vice President

SEC. 3. Eligibility. — All former presidents and vice presidents shall be entitled to the
benefits and privileges provided under this Act: Provided, That he/she was not removed from
office through impeachment; he/she has not been convicted by final judgment of any crime
involving corruption or moral turpitude; and he/she has not accepted any appointive employment
and/or has not ran for any elective position in the government after his term of office as president

of vice president.

SEC. 4. Benefits. — Each former president and vice president eligible under this Act shall

be entitled to the following benefits and privileges for the remainder of his/her life
(a) Tax-free retirement pension equivalent to the salary of an incumbent department
secretary and incumbent department undersecretary for the former president and vice

president, respectively;


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(b) Adequate personal security and protection to be provided by the Philippine National
Police (PNP). The former president and vice president shall have the right to choose
the head of his/her own security detail;

(©) All mail matters of the former president and vice president addressed for delivery
within the Philippines shall be received, transmitted and delivered in the mails of the
Philippines free of postage if the envelope or wrapper of such mail matter bears on
the left hand comer the name of said former president or vice president; and

(d) Fifty percent (50%) discount on all public transportation for him and an aide or

accompanying person.

SEC. 5. Benefits extended to the immediate family. — The immediate family of the

former president and vice president shall be entitled to the following benefits:

(a) Personal security and protection provided by the PNP for the children until they reach
the age of 21, and for the surviving spouse for the remainder of his/her life or until
he/she re-marries;

(b) Full scholarship for the former president and vice president's children in any course in
any state colleges and/or universities;

(c) In case of the former president's death, the surviving spouse shall be entitled to a tax-
free retirement pension equivalent to the salary of an incumbent department secretary:
Provided, That if such widow/widower of the former president re-marries, he/she
shall lose the benefits and privileges provided under this Act;

(d) In case of the former vice president's death, the widow/widower shall be entitled to a
tax-free retirement pension equivalent to the salary of an incumbent department
undersecretary: Provided, That if such widow/widower of the former vice president
re-marries, he/she shall lose the benefits and privileges provided under this Act; and

(e) All mail matters of such widow/widower, addressed for delivery within the
Philippines, shall be received, transmitted and delivered in the mails of the
Philippines free of postage if the envelope or wrapper of such mail matter bears on

the left upper comer his/her name

SEC. 6. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to implement the provisions of this Act
shall be included by the Department of Budget’ and Management in the annual General
Appropriations Act (GAA).

SEC. 7. Separability Clause. — If any provision, section or part of this Act shall be
declared unconstitutional or invalid, such judgment shall not affect, invalidate or impair any
other provisions, sections or parts hereof but shall be merely confined to the provision, section or
part thereof that is directly involved in the issue upon which judgment has been rendered


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SEC. 8. Repealing Clause. — Republic Act No. 2087 is hereby repealed accordingly
Further, all laws, decrees, orders, letters of instruction, rules and regulations or other issuances
and parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, including but not limited to
Republic Act No. 5059, are likewise amended, modified or repealed accordingly

SEC. 9. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in two (2) newspaper of general circulation in the country or in the Official Gazette.

Approved,