SHE was abandoned then widowed, but she will not spend her later years penniless.
This after the Commission on Audit (COA) granted the claim of Serena Glinogo, widow of the late 2nd Lieutenant Rene Diego Glinogo, over his unpaid pension amounting to P1,750,231.56.
The COA said Serena remained the rightful beneficiary of the unpaid pension even if he abandoned her while he was still alive.
In an en banc decision, the Commission held that the claimant-widow remains entitled to collect despite having filed the claim more than a decade after her estranged husband’s passing.
“This Commission finds the petition meritorious. Mrs. Glinogo did not file her claim after the death of 2LT Glinogo on April 26, 2007 because of the abandonment made by the latter. The application for transfer of derivative pension was filed only on October 9, 2017, more than 10 years from the death of her husband,” the COA noted.
Records showed that Rene retired from active service on July 15, 1990 after having rendered 20 years and one month of service with a certificate of disability discharge and retirement pay for the rank of second lieutenant.
On February 22, 2018, the widow obtained a Declaration of Beneficiary issued by the AFP’s Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAGO), which she attached to her claim filed with the COA on March 25, 2024, together with a certificate of non-payment she obtained from the AFP Finance Center.
In granting her petition, the COA pointed out that the AFP acknowledged the validity of the widow’s claim.
“The AFPPGMC confirmed the compulsory retirement of 2LT Glinogo as well as his demise. The AFPPGMC likewise confirmed and approved the transfer of derivative pension to the herein petitioner, Ms. Glinogo. Evidently, Ms. Glinogo has a vested right to receive derivative pension,” the COA said.
