The Senate approved on third and final reading a measure that provides a pension differential for retired employees of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

Senate Bill 2863 aims to provide a monthly pension differential to officers and employees of the DFA who are receiving a monthly pension from the GSIS and those who opted to retire under Republic Act 1616.

Under the bill, beneficiaries must reach 65 and have served the DFA for at least 15 years before retiring.

The monthly pension differential shall be the difference between the basic monthly pensions of retirees holding the same rank, multiplied by the adjustment factor, based on their years of service.

SB 2863 will also address the concerns of family members who are left behind after a DFA retiree dies.

The bill allows the surviving legal spouse, as long as he or she has not remarried, and the qualified dependent children to receive 50 percent of the pension differential that the deceased retiree received or was entitled to.

Senator Mark Villar, who sponsored the bill, expressed his gratitude to the chamber for supporting it.

“The bill’s approval on Third Reading takes our distinguished DFA retirees one step closer to a reality where they can bask in the fruit of the hard work and labor they have graciously offered to the Philippines,” he said in his manifestation.

Villar stressed the pressing need to enact the measure to compensate the DFA retirees and foreign service personnel.

“Our DFA retirees have, literally and figuratively, crossed borders and flown miles, to ensure that our country’s diplomatic ties remain favorable and suitable to the needs of Filipinos here and abroad,” Villar said.

“It is high time that we return this sacrifice. It is important to note that this bill is not solely about financial compensation,” he added.

The lawmaker also said that the approval of the bill is “a long-overdue recognition of the extraordinary and unique sacrifices made by our foreign service personnel.”