Malacañang on Saturday said that a total of 145 former employees of the state-run media company Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp. (IBC-13) finally got their retirement pay more than two decades after they left the firm.

In her speech during the awarding ceremonies earlier this week, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said that the government has released the long-awaited retirement pay for IBC workers during the presidency of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

"The President gave the instruction to help resolve their claims as addressing the welfare of media workers is one of the cornerstones of his administration and of the PCO. So it is a great honor for me to be able to be part of this much-awaited and much-deserved awarding of benefits to our colleagues in the media," Garafil said. 

Jimmie Policarpio, President and CEO of IBC-13, said that the retirement pay helped about 200 families.

He said that most of the surviving retirees are already on maintenance medicines or have a lot of health problems, and some are "gravely ill."

However, at least 25 of the retirees have died before they could enjoy what they had worked for their whole lives.

It took 22 years and 28 management teams during Marcos's time in office for the payment to be made. 

"With spirits of thanksgiving, (the retirees) can now look forward to enjoying their waning years with dignity and pride in having served God, country and people," the IBC-13 management said. 

Policarpio thanked Marcos's government for making it possible for the retirement pay to be given out.

The President of the Senate of the Philippines, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and Senators Koko Pimentel, Jinggoy Estrada, and JV Ejercito, who introduced the bill that made the payment possible, were also thanked. 

House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and the Governance Council for Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG) led by Chairman Atty. Marius Corpus were also praised by the IBC-13 management.