Senator Win Gatchalian commended the signing into law of the bill granting survivorship benefits to the legitimate spouse and dependent children of the members of the National Prosecution Service (NPS).
He noted that the modest entitlement is long overdue especially to those who have dedicated their lives to be instruments in the dispensation of justice in the country.
Gatchalian, co-author of Republic Act No. 11643, otherwise known as “An Act Granting Survivorship Benefits to the Surviving Legitimate Spouse and Dependent Children of a Deceased Retired Member of the National Prosecution Service,” said the law could help boost the morale of prosecutors who are saddled with heavy caseloads and face a myriad of challenges that can influence their decision-making and performance.
President Rodrigo Duterte has recently signed into law RA 11643 which allows the surviving legitimate spouse and dependent children of a deceased member of the NPS, who is eligible to optionally retire at the time of death, to be entitled to the retirement benefits that the deceased was receiving or entitled to receive.
“While they have the option to practice law profession in private firms or be self-employed, they opted to become public prosecutors and be gatekeepers of criminal justice in the country,” he said.
“It’s a small token considering the serious predicaments and perils that they face every day in the performance of their duties,” Gatchalian stressed.
The newly-signed law also provides for a retroactive application for prosecutors who died one year prior to its effectivity.
Senator Richard J. Gordon welcomed the passage into law of Senate Bill 2373.
“We are grateful and elated that the measure is now a law, which means that legitimate spouse and dependents of a deceased member of NPS are now entitled to receive all the retirement benefits that the departed prosecutor was receiving or entitled to receive,” Gordon said.
“With the passage of the bill, our government will be able to take care of the NPS prosecutors’ dependents and that would be a great help for their families,” he added.
Gordon, who chairs the Senate committee on justice and human rights, has recognized the sacrifice made by the prosecutors and their significant role in the country’s criminal justice system and pushed for the granting of survivorship benefits to their surviving families.
“Our prosecutors are risking their personal safety and of their families. They receive serious threats and their lives are always in danger. And so, it is our duty to protect them and their families as much as we protect our judges,” he said.
Under the Duterte administration, 66 lawyers have been killed in the past five years and 14 of them were former or current prosecutors. The 66th lawyer was Assistant City Prosecutor Edilberto Mendoza from Trece Martires, Cavite who was gunned down at close range in front of his home on New Year’s Eve.