Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Tuesday, May 9 said state economic managers should find ways to sustain the pension system for the military and other uniformed personnel (MUP). Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, made the call in response to reports that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s economic team are set to meet this week to fine-tune proposals to overhaul the increasingly “unsustainable” MUP pension system. The senator said he finds it unacceptable for the present government to point to the pension benefits as the cause of the Philippine economy’s collapse. “I don’t know if it is an overstatement or understatement, I’m not sure…I’m not an economist but I hope the state honors our efforts to fight in the field, and provide MUPs the care and attention by the government,” Dela Rosa said in a press briefing. “I don’t want to be divisive among other retirees, pero siguro lahat naman tayo ay aminado sa lahat ng retiree yung nasa armed services ang buwis buhay ang trabaho niyan at nakapagretire siya so dapat alagaan dahil (but all of us retirees in the armed services gave up their lives for this job and once they retired, they should be taken care of by the government because) he used up his productive years of his life fighting the enemies of the state,” he said. “Matanda na siya di natin sya alagaan (If we don’t take care of them in their senior years) that’s unfair,” he pointed out. If reforms would be undertaken, Dela Rosa said he hopes this would only apply to new MUP personnel. “Dapat kung ireporma ang benefit system ay ang new entrants lang wag na yung nasa serbisyo. Very revolting ang kanilang magiging aksyon (Reforms in the benefits system should apply to new entrants only, not those who are already in service. It would be very revolting if they take action),” he said. “I’m not a member of the economic team but I hope they do something about it, we need to balance everything,” added the senator. “If there’s anything I can do to help, I will help,” he assured.