PNB retirees staged a rally infront of the Supreme Court, 22 July, to press the high bench to rule on their petition for the release of their retirement benefits. (Alvin Murcia)
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Around 8,000 retired and active personnel of the Philippine National Bank (PNB) are continuing their legal fight to recover more than ₱1 billion in alleged unpaid allowances, with their lawyer urging the Supreme Court to resolve the government's pending motion for reconsideration.
In an interview Wednesday, lawyer Goldelo Rivera Galapon, counsel for the retired PNB personnel, said they have already prevailed before the Regional Trial Court, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court, which in March 2020 affirmed the lower courts' rulings ordering the PNB to pay back benefits covering the cost-of-living allowance (COLA) and amelioration allowance.
Galapon said the claim covers unpaid benefits equivalent to 40 percent for the COLA and 10 percent for the amelioration allowance.
"We won before the Regional Trial Court. The government appealed to the Court of Appeals and we won again. The PNB then filed a petition for review before the Supreme Court, and we also won," Galapon said.
He said the Supreme Court's March 2020 decision affirmed the rulings of the trial court and the Court of Appeals and denied the PNB's petition for review.
Galapon estimated that the amount due to about 8,000 retired and active PNB personnel is "not less than ₱1 billion," although he said the exact amount has yet to be determined.
Despite the favorable ruling, Galapon said the case remains unresolved because the government filed a motion for reconsideration, which is still pending before the Supreme Court.
He said both sides have already submitted their pleadings and are now awaiting the high court's resolution of the motion.
On Wednesday, members of the group staged a rally outside the Supreme Court, coinciding with the PNB anniversary celebration, to call on the justices to act on the pending motion.
Galapon said the rally was intended to express the retirees' frustration over what they described as the government's delaying tactics and to urge the high court to finally resolve the case.
The PNB has yet to issue a statement on Galapon's claims and the status of the pending motion for reconsideration.
