Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero has filed a bill seeking the creation of a P20-billion trust fund aimed at providing comprehensive social benefits to uniformed service personnel and their families.
Under Senate Bill 276, Escudero proposed the institutionalization of the Comprehensive Social Benefits Program (CSBP), which would provide financial aid and welfare support for members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU), Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Corrections, Philippine Coast Guard, and their dependents.
The Senate President emphasized that past efforts to improve the welfare of uniformed personnel, such as salary increases and benefits, were mainly implemented through executive issuances, making them vulnerable to reversal. The new legislation seeks to guarantee these benefits by law.
“Nararapat lamang na matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng ating mga uniformed personnel kapag may mangyari sa kanila, sa giyera man o habang nagreresponde sa krimen, sunog, at iba pang mga sitwasyon na peligroso. Ganun na rin para sa kanilang kaanak at mga mahal sa buhay. Responsibilidad ito ng ating pamahalaan (It is only right to address the needs of our uniformed personnel when something happens to them, whether in war or while responding to crimes, fires, and other dangerous situations. The same applies to their families and loved ones. This is the responsibility of our government),” Escudero stressed.
The P20-billion trust fund will finance a range of benefits, including lump-sum financial assistance for beneficiaries in cases of death or permanent disability sustained during duty; educational scholarships and study grants; financial aid for home construction, rehabilitation, or improvement; and health and medical assistance under the Department of Health’s programs.
Additionally, qualified beneficiaries will be enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) or receive a monthly subsidy of 40 kilos of rice or its cash equivalent, alongside employment assistance coordinated by relevant uniformed service agencies.
SB 276 is among the first 20 measures filed by Escudero in the 20th Congress aimed at strengthening support for uniformed personnel across the country.