ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro on Sunday strongly opposed the grant of retirement benefits and pensions to the 18 high-ranking police officers who resigned amid allegations of involvement in illegal drug activities.
“If the reasons for the acceptance of their resignations are indeed strong, then these drug cops should be punished and not be coddled,” she said.
“If ordinary employees of the governments are charged, all of their benefits are being suspended,” she added.
She raised concern about the fiscal crisis that the country is facing, particularly the burden of providing large pensions to police officers and military personnel.
“What kind of justice system would remove drug cops from their posts and still give them pensions, especially when we are already grappling with a fiscal crisis caused by the hefty pensions of police and military personnel?” she asked.
Granting retirement benefits and pensions to these high-ranking drug cops, according to Castro, could send a wrong message to the public.
“If they were given their pensions, then it simply sends the wrong message, which is crime pays in the Philippines,” she noted.
