The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on second reading a legislation that seeks to lower the optional retirement age of federal employees from 60 to 56.
During the plenary session, the house passed through voice vote House Bill 206, which aims to amend Section 13-A of Republic Act 8291, popularly known as the "Government Service Insurance (GSIS) Act of 1997."
When government employee turns 56 years old, they are eligible to apply for retirement and receive a lifelong old-age pension from the GSIS.
The primary author of the bill, Rep. France Castro of the ACT Teachers Party, claimed that everyone working in government, especially public school teachers, is subject to the demanding work and the physical and mental tolls it brings.
She cited the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization when she claimed that the Philippines was among the nations with the most appalling statistics describing the working conditions of teachers, with average pupil-teacher ratios ranging from 31 (primary level) to 45 students to each teacher (secondary level), and average class sizes of 42.4 (primary) and 43.7 (secondary) (secondary).
Castro noted that the retirement age in the majority of North American, European, and Asian nations is 60 and that teachers in the Philippines leave the workforce five years later than those in most other nations.
