ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | October 11, 2023
Dear Chief Acosta,
Ako ay kasal sa isang retiradong opisyal ng militar at kami ay may isang anak na sa kasalukuyan ay menor-de-edad pa. Hindi ko na siya kayang pakisamahan sa kadahilanang lagi siyang nananakit, kaya naman umalis na kami ng anak ko sa aming bahay. Sa ngayon ay ayaw niya magbigay ng suportang pinansyal, at ito diumano ay kanya lamang ibibigay kung babalik kami sa aming bahay. Maaari ba akong magtungo sa tanggapan ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) upang makiusap na makakuha ng bahagi ng kanyang retirement benefits o pensyon bilang suporta sa aming anak? - Luisa
Dear Luisa,
Ang batas na sasaklaw patungkol sa iyong katanungan ay ang Republic Act No. 9262 (R.A. No. 9262) o ang Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004. Nakasaad sa Section 8 (g) ng nasabing batas na:
“SECTION 8. Protection Orders. - A protection order is an order issued under this act for the purpose of preventing further acts of violence against a woman or her child specified in Section 5 of this Act and granting other necessary relief. The relief granted under a protection order serve the purpose of safeguarding the victim from further harm, minimizing any disruption in the victim's daily life, and facilitating the opportunity and ability of the victim to independently regain control over her life. The provisions of the protection order shall be enforced by law enforcement agencies. The protection orders that may be issued under this Act are the barangay protection order (BPO), temporary protection order (TPO) and permanent protection order (PPO). The protection orders that may be issued under this Act shall include any, some or all of the following reliefs:
(g) Directing the respondent to provide support to the woman and/or her child if entitled to legal support. Notwithstanding other laws to the contrary, the court shall order an appropriate percentage of the income or salary of the respondent to be withheld regularly by the respondent’s employer for the same to be automatically remitted directly to the woman.
Failure to remit and/or withhold or any delay in the remittance of support to the woman and/or her child without justifiable cause shall render the respondent or his employer liable for indirect contempt of court.”
Kaugnay nito, inilahad ng Korte Suprema sa kaso ng Pension and Gratuity Management Center et al. v. AAA (G.R. No. 201292, 01 August 2018, Ponente: Honorable Associate Justice Mariano C. Del Castillo) ang mga sumusunod:
“Thus, in Republic v. Yahon, the Court held that PGMC may be ordered to automatically deduct a portion from the retirement benefits of its member-recipients for direct remittance to the latter’s legal spouse as and by way of support in compliance with a protection order issued by the trial court, pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 9262 (RA 9262) or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004. The Court declared therein that RA 9262 - which is a special law; a later enactment; a support enforcement legislation; and one that addresses one form of violence, which is economic abuse against women and children - should be construed as laying down an exception to the general rule that retirement benefits are exempt from execution. The Court therein noted that RA 9262 itself explicitly authorizes the courts to order the withholding of a percentage of the income or salary of the defendant or respondent by the employer, which shall be remitted directly to the plaintiff or complainant - other laws to the contrary notwithstanding.”
Malinaw sa nabanggit na probisyon ng batas at desisyon ng Korte Suprema na ang isang employer, pribado man o gobyerno, ay maaaring itabi ang bahagi ng suweldo, maging ang retirement benefits ng isang empleyado, at ibigay ito sa asawa ng nasabing empleyado, alinsunod sa utos ng korte at kaugnay sa probisyon ng R.A. No. 9262.
Sa iyong sitwasyon, hindi maaari na ikaw mismo ang dumulog sa tanggapan ng Armed Forces of the Philippines o AFP, na siyang dating employer ng iyong asawa, upang hilingin ang bahagi ng kanyang retirement benefits. Marapat na ikaw ay magsampa ng kaukulang kaso sa korte, sa kadahilanang ang korte lamang ang maaaring mag-utos sa employer ng iyong asawa na itabi ang bahagi ng kanyang benepisyo at ibigay ito sa iyo at sa iyong anak bilang suportang pinansyal.
Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa mga impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.
Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.
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