Commission Advisory on the Coverage of Employees' Compensation Law to the Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and to the Philippine National Police (PNP)

July 24, 2009ECC CIRCULAR NO. 06-709COMMISSION ADVISORY ON THE COVERAGE OF EMPLOYEES' COMPENSATION LAW TO THE MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES (AFP) AND TO THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE (PNP)TO:All GSIS Regional Office Area Managers The following advisory is hereby issued in response to numerous complaints from the members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) due to non-acceptance of their EC claims solely on the ground of absence of GSIS Policy Numbers. TIADCcDespite the exclusion of the members of the AFP and the PNP from the coverage of Republic Act No. 8291 otherwise known as "The Government Service Insurance Act of 1997," they are still covered by P.D. 626, as amended. Article 168 of P.D. 626, as amended, partly reads:''Art. 168. Compulsory Coverage. — Coverage in the State Insurance Fund shall be compulsory upon all employers and their employees not over sixty (60) years of age x x x"Under Article 167 (g) of P.D. 626, as amended, the term "employee" includes "members of the Armed...