Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla on Friday, Oct. 27, signed the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 11643 that grants survivorship benefits to families of deceased prosecutors who have retired or those who are eligible to retire.
“In a career fraught with stress from high caseloads amid challenging environments, not to mention the inherent hazards of the job, the law offers a measure of social protection for the surviving heirs of public prosecutors who will find themselves orphaned by their breadwinner,” Remulla said during the signing ceremony.
Remulla pointed out that the law is “especially impactful for our prosecutors in active service who perish in the line of duty before they could reap the benefits of retirement.”
Describing the signing as a milestone, the secretary said the much-awaited IRR will “breathe life into the spirit of the law, ensuring the State’s continued assistance to public prosecutors who have spent the best years of their lives serving the government and the public, beyond the grave.”
Since the law came into effect on Feb. 8, 2021, the secretary admitted “our Department has been inundated with queries and claims from the families of deceased prosecutors.”
The secretary also declared that his signing of the IRR also shows his “unwavering commitment and support to all our prosecutors in the Department of Justice.”
“In return, I ask for nothing more than for our prosecutors to do justice to every Filipino, by enforcing the law without fear or favor, with integrity, fairness, and promptness, and by ensuring due process, protecting human dignity and upholding human rights,” he urged.
He explained the IRR “lays out and facilitates the process for the surviving spouse or dependent children of a deceased prosecutor to claim and enjoy the benefits due their beloved husband, wife or parent.”
“With this IRR, the family of a qualified prosecutors who died on or after February 8, 2021, shall now be eligible to receive survivorship benefits, that is, all accrued retirement benefits that a deceased prosecutor ought to have received if he or she were still alive,” the secretary said.
“This benefit covers all qualified family members of our public prosecutors from the Office of the Secretary of Justice Prosecution Staff and the Regional, Provincial, or City Prosecution Offices,” he added.
Remulla also assured “survivorship benefits will automatically increase with any salary and allowance adjustments granted under R.A. No. 10071 or the Prosecution Service Act of 2010.”
He reminded public prosecutors are the country’s “gate keepers” of criminal justice where they play a crucial role in “making decisions and exercising discretion about whether to prosecute, whom to prosecute, and how to prosecute.”
“For this reason, our public prosecutors are called upon to ensure our criminal laws are being enforced, without hesitation, despite risks to life and limb, in our relentless pursuit of justice, in investigating crimes and in prosecuting offenders,” he stated.