Discrepancies in the list of pensioners in the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) Pension Management Information System (PenMIS) resulted in the overpayment or underpayment of 212 pensioners, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.
In its 2022 audit report, COA said there were inconsistencies in the stored information data of some pensioners due to incorrect coding of information appearing in the retirement orders or service records.
It said there were 169 pensioners who were overpaid, while 43 others were underpaid.
Citing an example when pensioners of the same rank received varying pensions, COA said one colonel was overpaid by P34,476, while the other colonel was deprived of P18,028.
"The overpayment and underpayment of pension benefits have been the subject of both current and prior years’ audit observations," it said as it underscored that the integrity of the pensioners’ database is of "paramount importance" and its maintenance rests primarily with the AFP Pension and Gratuity Management Center (AFPPGMC).
Thus, COA tasked the AFPPGMC to evaluate the information discrepancies of affected pensioners by requesting and reviewing copies of retirement orders and service records from the Non-current Records Division, Office of the Adjutant General (NRD-OTAG).
"After due determination, effect necessary corrections in the PenMIS data of affected pensioners and perform necessary actions to recover/settle overpayments and underpayments and draw adjusting entries in the books," it said.
With COA’s recommendations, AFPPGMC has told the government’s audit agency that it has evaluated the 212 AFP pensioners and obtained the copies of the retirement orders and service records from NRD-OTAG.