PANGASINENSES in the uniformed sector may soon find themselves retiring at 60 years old, not 56 if Congress acts on a Senate bill.

The bill filed by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano proposes to adjust the compulsory retirement age for the country’s uniformed men and women from fifty-six (56) to sixty (60) years old.

In effect, the bill if passed will cover officers and enlisted men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), members of the Philippine National Police (PNP), uniformed officers and non-officers of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and members/officers of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

“We need more competent and dedicated uniformed personnel to assist our government pursue its programs to ensure peaceful, orderly, and safe communities,” Cayetano said as he filed Senate Bill No. 1436 last May 4.

Cayetano pointed out that the tasks performed by the personnel of the PNP, BJMP, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the BFP require long years of training and experience.

He said he is confident that at age 56, these personnel can still fulfill the physical, mental, and psychological demands and rigors of their position.

Under existing laws, civilian government employees are compulsorily retired at the age of sixty-five (65), while the retirement age for uniformed personnel is pegged at fifty-six (56).

Currently, uniformed personnel who have accumulated thirty years of satisfactory service or who have reached the age of 56 are compulsorily retired.

“Recognizing their indispensable role as protectors of the State and its citizens, the government has heavily invested in the training and development of the officers and members of these agencies,” the senator stressed.

“We need to maximize their years of experience and wealth of knowledge, harness their leadership skills and professional competence until the age of 60,” he added.

Cayetano hopes that extending the years of service would also increase the number of qualified personnel in these respective offices.

He noted that the long-term goal is to keep hardworking and dedicated uniformed personnel longer in service and to remove corrupt officials and scalawags who are destroying the image of the institutions that they serve.

“The senior officials are in the best position to help our administration to lead the reforms in their respective agencies,“ Cayetano noted.

“Additional years in service would also allow these officers to have more opportunities for career advancement,” he added. #

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