Executive Order No. 167




MALACAÑAN PALACE MANILA BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 167 INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF CERTAIN EMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYEES IN THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS WHEREAS, there is a need to continually improve benefits under the Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP) to make them more responsive to the welfare and development needs of occupationally disabled workers; WHEREAS, the current Employees’ Compensation (EC) Funeral Benefit for both private and public sectors is no longer sufficient to cover funeral costs; WHEREAS, pursuant to Article 177(e) of Presidential Decree No. 626, as amended, the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) shall have the power and duties, among others, to upgrade benefits and grant new ones for permanent disability or death, subject to the approval of the President, provided that the actuarial stability of the State Insurance Funds (SIF) shall be guaranteed and that such increases in benefits shall not require any increase in contributions from the employers, both private and public; WHEREAS, the results of the actuarial studies of the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) show that the SIFs administered by them respectively can finance the increase in benefits herein set forth without affecting the stability of the SIFs and without requiring additional contributions; and WHEREAS, on 2 July 2013 and 29 November 2013, the ECC adopted Resolution Nos. 13-07-14, 13-07-15 and 13-11-37 approving the increase in benefits herein set forth. NOW, THEREFORE I, BENIGNO S. AQUINO III, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in my by law, do hereby order: SECTION 1. EC Funeral Benefits for the Private and Public Sectors. The amount of EC Funeral Benefits in both the private and public sectors shall be increased from Ten Thousand Pesos (Php 10,000.00) to Twenty Thousand Pesos (Php 20,000.00), effective immediately; provided, that the stability of the SIFs is not affected and there is no corresponding increase in the EC contribution from the employers, both private and public. SECTION 2. EC Disability and Death Benefits for the Private Sector. There shall be a -ten (10%) across-the-board increase in EC Pension for all EC permanent partial disability, permanent total disability and survivorship pension in the private sector, effective immediately; provided, that the stability of the relevant SIF is not affected and there is no corresponding increase in the EC contributions from the employers. SECTION 3. Appropriation and Release from the SIFs. The ECC, SSS and GSIS are hereby directed to appropriate and release the amounts necessary to cover the increase in benefits set forth in Sections 1 and 2 above from the reserves of the relevant SIF that the SSS and GSIS administer, respectively, under the ECP. SECTION 4. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The ECC shall issue such rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement this Executive Order, including the retroactive application of the increase in benefits for the private sector to September 2013 as adopted in Resolution Nos. 13-07-14 and 13-07-15. SECTION 5. Amendment or Modification. All Presidential issuances, rules and regulations inconsistent herewith are hereby amended or modified accordingly.1avvphi1 SECTION 6. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Executive Order is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting. SECTION 7. Effectivity. This Executive Order shall take effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette and in a newspaper of general circulation. DONE in the City of Manila, this 26th day of May in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Fourteen. (Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III By the-President: (Sgd.) PAQUITO N. OCHOA, JR. Executive Secretary The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation