PINAYUHAN ni Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na wag nang makialam sa panukala na dagdagan ng P2,000 ang pensyon ng mga retiradong miyembro ng Social Security System (SSS).
Sa isang press briefing sa Malacanang, tahasang sinabi ni Diokno na tutol ang mga economic managers ni Duterte sa isinusulong na P2,000 pension hike.
“You know… To give you a historical perspective. Even during the time of President Marcos, he did not touch SSS, okay, because it is a private pension fund,” sabi ni Diokno.
Naninindigan si Diokno na hindi patas na gamitin ang pondo ng lahat ng mga miyembro ng SSS para lamang pondohan ang pension hike.
“So if there’s any solution, I think they should find it within the system and what we are proposing is a salary — a contribution adjustment, a higher pay but we are not recommending it right now,” ayon pa kay Diokno.
Kasabay nito, sinabi ni Diokno na dapat ibalik na lamang ni Duterte sa SSS board ang isinumiting rekomendasyon kaugnay ng P2,000 SSS pension hike.
“We (economic managers) already have a position paper. We signed it, the three of us,” dagdag ni Diokno.
Ayon pa kay Diokno na hindi tama na si Duterte ang mamoblema sa isyu.
“It should not have reached the President’s desk. The Board of Trustees should have exercised leadership and say, ‘no, we cannot do it unless we do the following things,” sabi pa ni Diokno.
Nauna nang sinabi ng pamunuan ng SSS na isinumite na kay Duterte ang kanilang rekomendasyon panukalang P2,000 pension hike.
“He can give it back and say, ‘look, I appointed you there to solve the problem, okay. Come up with a solution,’” sabi pa ni Diokno.