Rationalizing the Provisions of Claims Using Marriage Documents

1. Rationalizing the Provisions of Claims Using Marriage Documents REAR ADMIRAL MARIO A CATACUTAN AFP DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF FOR PERSONNEL, J1

2. Introduction Civil Registration • a task of all government agencies • unlocks the door to global opportunities • makes easy the distribution of goods and services

3. Introduction • The AFP supports… • Civil Registration and… • …the use of marriage documents …in order to distribute goods and services to all its members

4. Introduction The AFP values the family… …values marriage as the foundation of the family

5. Topics to be discussed • Importance of Civil Registry Documents in the Military Service • Benefits and Claims in the AFP requiring Civil Registry Documents • Problems Encountered • AFP-NSO Pension Cleansing Project

6. Womb to Tomb Service ACTIVE SERVICE RETIREMENT RECRUITMENT • PMA Cadetship • Officer Candidate • Candidate Soldier • ROTC Advance • Philippine Army • Philippine Navy • Philippine Air Force • Technical Services • Transition Assistance • Livelihood Training • Veterans Affairs • Pension • Qualified Dependents

7. Importance of Civil Registry Documents in the Military Service • Civil Registry Documents • Birth records - names, date & place of birth, parents, religion, citizenship … • Marriage certificates – civil status & legal spouse • Death certificates – passing away of individual

8. Importance of Civil Registry Documents in the military service • A requirement for entry into the service • Cadetship in the PMA • Candidate Soldiers & Officers Candidate • Commission in the Regular and Reserve Force • Reservists

9. Importance of Civil Registry Documents in the military service • Part of Military Personnel File (201) • Family Documents in the 201File • The Adjutant General is the repository of records & MPF

10. Importance of Civil Registry Documents in the military service • Part of Military Personnel File (201) • Family Documents in the 201File • Individual’s Birth Certificate & Marriage Certificate of parents if single • Birth Certificates of children • Marriage Certificate

11. Importance of Civil Registry Documents in the military service • Part of Military Personnel File (201) • Updating of Family Documents in the 201File • Reenlistment upon ETE of Enlisted Personnel • Officer’s individual responsibility • when requesting for Service Record/ Statement of Service

12. Importance of Civil Registry Documents in the military service • AFP Military Dependent’s ID System • Use in all transactions in the AFP • Privileges and use of facilities • Health services

13. Benefits and Claims in the AFP requiring Civil Registry Documents • Retirement Pension under PD 1638 Monthly pay equivalent to 2 ½ % for each year of active service… …but not exceeding 85% of the monthly base pay and longevity pay of the next grade that of the permanent grade last held

14. Benefits and Claims in the AFP requiring Civil Registry Documents • Commutation of Accumulated Leave Commutation of accumulated vacation and sick leave to his/her credit. • Old Age Pension Retiree reaches the age of 65

15. Benefits and Claims in the AFP requiring Civil Registry Documents • Refund of Pag-IBIG contribution Retirees and heir/beneficiaries of deceased mil personnel can claim their contributions from the Fund • Disability Pension Those who have completed 20 years or more service and retired with Certificate of Disability Discharge (CDD)

16. Benefits and Claims in the AFP requiring Civil Registry Documents • On-Base and Off-Base Housing On-base housing provides living quarters inside camps for active members Off-base housing encourages personnel to acquire house & lot of their own

17. Benefits and Claims in the AFP requiring Civil Registry Documents Benefit claims of surviving heirs of deceased retired/separated personnel • Posthumous Separation pay If mil personnel dies before completing 20 years of active service 50% of pay of next higher grade last held Plus death gratuity under RA 610 in the amount of P6,000 thru PVAO

18. Benefits and Claims in the AFP requiring Civil Registry Documents Benefit claims of surviving heirs of deceased retired/separated personnel • Commutation of Leave Amount depends on the base pay and longevity pay of the grade last held and the number of unused leave credit by the deceased

19. Benefits and Claims in the AFP requiring Civil Registry Documents Benefit claims of surviving heirs of deceased retired/separated personnel • Educational Benefits Scholarship under PD 577 HERO Foundation educational grant in the form of financial assistance Scholarship under RA 6963

20. Benefits and Claims in the AFP requiring Civil Registry Documents • Cash Assistance from Alay Sa Kawal Foundation Given to families of KIA/WIA • Old Age Pension for Surviving Spouse Surviving spouse of KIA automatically qualifies for old age pension from PVAO regardless of age

21. Benefits and Claims in the AFP requiring Civil Registry Documents • Special Financial Assistance under RA 6963 Special financial assistance given to families/ beneficiaries of KIA/ permanently incapacitated in combat

22. Problems Encountered • Unsigned Marriage Contracts Even unsigned marriage contract may still be belatedly registered with the LCR or NSO Unsigned marriage contract should not be accepted for registration, especially when one of the parties is already deceased

23. Problems Encountered • Bigamous Marriages Registration of a second marriage contracted by one of the parties who has previously contracted marriage with another person There must be proof that the previous marriage was legally dissolved/ terminated before registration of second marriage

24. Problems Encountered • Unregistered Tribal Marriages Some Muslim and tribal marriages are only registered at their own court (e.g. Sharia Court)… …but not registered at NSO.

25. Problems Encountered • Unregistered Marriages in Mass Weddings …due to lack of requirement from the brides and grooms

26. AFP-NSO Pension Cleansing Project • To have a coherent framework in cleansing the records of AFP pensioners • MOA between AFP and NSO on 28 January 2008

27. AFP-NSO Pension Cleansing Project • Cross-matching of pensioners’ payroll with NSO death lists • 32,373 active pensioners from payroll of Jan 2008 • 2,058 names were found in the NSO death lists • 65 were validated to be deceased • Their pensions withheld

28. AFP-NSO Pension Cleansing Project • Cross-matching with NSO records on marriages (NSC CRS Form No. 5 – Advisory on Marriages) • A way of knowing the number of marriages of both the deceased and the widow • Form No. 5 as an added requirement for pension transfer and pensioner’s ID Card

29. AFP-NSO Pension Cleansing Project • Cross-matching with NSO records on marriages resulted to: • Discovery of 34 widows who remarried or had prior marriage – pension automatically terminated • P15,363,893.00 pensions to be recovered • Filing of criminal cases in civil courts • Savings of P2,794,571 (pensions from Jan to Dec 2009 of 34 widows)

30. Conclusion The AFP strengthens more the Family by using “MARRIAGE DOCUMENTS“ in all provisions on claims Since MARRIAGE is a special contract, the key characteristic of which is its “permanence.” When one manifests a “deliberate pattern of flouting…” The State’s basic social institution and criminal laws on bigamysteps in

31. Conclusion …the AFP strengthens more the family ...and helps preserve marriage as the basic foundation of family

32. Conclusion The task of protecting“marriage as an inviolable social institution”requires vigilant and zealousparticipation andnot mere proforma compliance

33. Conclusion The protection of marriage as a “sacred” institution requires not just the defense of a true genuine union but the exposure of an “invalid” one as well.

34. THANK YOUMabuhay ang Pamilyang Filipino!