An Act Granting Special Financial Assistance and Benefits to the Family or Beneficiary of Any Police or Military Personnel or Fireman Killed or Permanently Incapacitated while in the Performance of His Duty or By Reason of His Office or Position and For Other Purposes

Case Overview and Summary

Summary of Republic Act No. 6963

Granting Special Financial Assistance and Benefits to Families of Killed or Permanently Incapacitated Police, Military, or Firemen

- Families or beneficiaries of police, military, or firemen killed or permanently incapacitated while on duty are entitled to special financial assistance, in addition to other benefits (Section 1)
- "Family" is defined as the surviving legal spouse, legitimate children, parents, siblings, or aunts and uncles, in that order; for Muslim personnel, Shari'a law applies (Section 2)
- Special financial assistance is equivalent to the average 6 months' salary, allowances, and bonuses of the deceased, exempt from taxes and legal claims (Section 3)
- The cashier must deliver the assistance within 3 days of receiving certification of death or permanent incapacity from the commander (Section 4)
- The assistance will be paid from the expected salary of the deceased for the next 6 months, and the vacant position cannot be filled during this period, unless public welfare demands it, in which case emergency funds will be used to replenish the assistance (Section 5)
- Hospitalization expenses for injuries sustained on duty will be shouldered by the office, chargeable against salary savings (Section 6)
- The surviving spouse or an employable child will be given priority in government employment (Section 7)
- Surviving children will receive scholarships up to college level, funded by firearms license fees collected by the Philippine Constabulary (Sections 8-10)
- Undue delay or prevention of assistance payment will result in dismissal from office (Section 11)
- The Act does not prejudice other benefits under existing laws (Section 12)
- Inconsistent laws are repealed or modified accordingly (Section 13)