Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has lauded Congress’ deliberations on bills that would amend the retirement age of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officers.
In a statement, Lorenzana cited the need for stability in the implementation of military programs.
“The proposed law will streamline and stabilize the leadership, rank, and organizational structure of the AFP,” he said.
The Senate Defense Committee recently tackled bills prescribing fixed terms for the Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff and other key officers of the AFP, as well as proposed laws that introduce reforms in the pension system of military and uniformed personnel.
Among the bills that were tackled was Senate Bill 1785 filed by Senator Richard Gordon.
The measure raises the retirement age of senior non-commissioned officers with the rank of Senior Master Sergeant and above to 62 and the commissioned officers, including the AFP chief-of-staff, to 65 years old.
Meanwhile, the retirement age of enlisted personnel will remain at 56 years old.
The counterpart measure of SB 1785 in the House of Representatives was filed by Iloilo 5th District Rep. Raul Tupas.
Apart from the amendments on the retirement age, the measure also provides fixed terms for all ranks in the officer corps—which covers the ranks of Second Lieutenant to Colonel—and the enlisted corps.
The bill also provides fixed tenure-in grade for general officers, which covers the ranks of Brigadier General to General.
“The law will ensure that officers stay in their positions long enough to effectively implement AFP programs and projects,” Lorenzana said.
A fixed ratio of one general to 1,000 AFP officers was proposed in the bill.