SEVENTY percent or 174 out of 248 PNP pensioner accounts earlier flagged by the Commission on Audit for failure to comply with the updating requirements were established to be invalid or disqualified.
State auditors said it found the 248 accounts suspicious due to non-updating by the pensioner/account holders in violation of PNP SOP No. 2020-001, which was put in place to protect the PNP Pension Fund by ensuring only eligible accounts receive due benefits and invalid ones are removed promptly.
“Inadequate monitoring and delayed tagging of non-updating pensioners ranging from one to eleven months may result in overpayment of pension benefits credited to accounts of unqualified pensioners,” the COA warned.
A review of the records showed the 248 flagged pensioner accounts were paid P53.725 million last year even if the guidelines state they should have been tagged and the pension payments withheld pending verification as to what caused the failure to update.
Verification rules of the PNP Retirement and Benefits Administration Service (PRBS) require retired PNP personnel or their dependents to show proof that the pension account remains valid to receive benefit payments, either by showing up in person at the nearest PRBS Unit or submitting documentary proof.
Where a pensioner is physically incapacitated, a photo of the retiree with a newspaper of national circulation with the date clearly shown together with the pensioner’s ID, filled-out forms and retirement orders may be submitted instead.
Online updating is also allowed for retirees living overseas or otherwise inaccessible to inspecting PRBS personnel.
An account that has been tagged and held for three months due to non-updating will be included in the list of accounts for possible deletion and submitted to the Pension Fund Board.
The audit team said all 248 accounts were compliant in 2021 but stopped updating at different months last year.
