PNP cracks down on bogus pensioners

The Philippine National Police yesterday said it would run after more than 1,000 police officers who have been illegally claiming pension from the PNP.

In a report to PNP chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, the Police Retirement Benefits Administration Service (PRBS) said a total of 1,027 pensioners were found to be no longer eligible based on grounds stipulated under the PNP pension system.

Some pensioners were either dead, have remarried or have reached the age of majority, according to Maj. Gen. Reynaldo Biay, director of the PNP Personnel and Records Management.

Based on the policy, the spouse of a deceased retiree and their children below 18 years are listed as beneficiaries. The pension is terminated if the wife or husband of the retiree remarries or dies, and their children reach the age of 18.

“We have identified the bogus claimants in the nationwide accounting of the PNP pensioners. We will purge the list to clean the records,” Gamboa said.

He said cases would be filed against individuals and groups perpetrating these fraudulent claims.

“The PNP will exhaust legal means to recover lost pension funds paid to ineligible claimants,” Gamboa said.

He ordered a nationwide accounting of the list of PNP pensioners in response to the Commission on Audit’s report about fake claimants.

With pensions being paid through online banking, the PRBS admitted it is having difficulty in validating the status of PNP pensioners.

A total of 7,388 pensioners have been accounted for by the PNP regional offices through tracker teams. Of the number, 1,027 were found to be no longer eligible for claims.

Among the disqualified claimants were beneficiaries who died in 2012 or who remarried as far back as 2003 but continued to claim pension.