The House of Representatives has unanimously given the nod to a bill which seeks to lower the optional retirement age of government employees from 60 to 56.
The Chamber approved House Bill No. 5509, 192-0,, which seeks to amend Section 13-A of the Republic Act No. 8291 or the “Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Act of 1997” wherein benefits are only given to those who retire at 60 years old.
If enacted into law, government workers can now file retirement at the age of 56, receiving the old-age pension for life from the GSIS.
The bill also states that prior to the effectivity of the measure, qualified members who have been retired or had been separated from the service prospectively would be included.
To date, the bill will now move to the Senate.
It can be recalled the House already passed a similar bill but remained pending from the Senate Committee level.