ABOUT 8,000 retired and active Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel on Wednesday renewed their appeal for the Supreme Court to resolve a long-pending motion for reconsideration in a case involving more than P1 billion in alleged unpaid allowances.
The group, represented by lawyer Goldelo Rivera Galapon, staged a rally outside Camp Crame during the PNP anniversary celebration to press the high court to act on the government's motion, which has kept the case unresolved despite earlier court victories.
"We won before the Regional Trial Court. The government appealed to the Court of Appeals, and we won again. The PNP then filed a petition for review before the Supreme Court, and we also won," Galapon said.
He said the Supreme Court, in a March 2020 decision, affirmed the rulings of the trial court and the Court of Appeals ordering the PNP to pay the unpaid cost of living allowance (COLA) and amelioration allowance to the claimants.
Galapon said the benefits consist of a 40-percent COLA and a 10-percent amelioration allowance.
He estimated that the total amount due to around 8,000 retired and active PNP personnel is "not less than P1 billion," although he noted that the exact amount has yet to be determined.
Despite the favorable ruling, Galapon said the government filed a motion for reconsideration, preventing the decision from becoming final and executory.
"The Supreme Court already ruled in our favor, but the government filed a motion for reconsideration. Both sides have already submitted their pleadings, and now we are just waiting for the Supreme Court to resolve the motion," he said.
Galapon said the rally was intended to call attention to what the retirees described as the government's delaying tactics and to urge the high court to dispose of the case.
"Our appeal is simple: We hope the Supreme Court will finally resolve the pending motion so that these retired police personnel can receive the benefits that have long been due to them," he said.
The PNP has yet to issue a statement on Galapon's claims and the status of the pending motion for reconsideration.