MANILA -- A total of 145 employees of the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) have received their retirement pay.

The retirement pay came after over two decades since the employees left the state-run media corporation also known as IBC-13.

It was only in the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the much-awaited retirement pay was released to the IBC workers.

At least 25 of the retirees have passed away before they could enjoy the fruits of their lives’ work. It took 22 years and 28 management teams before the payment was given under the Marcos administration.

IBC-13, along with government-owned media companies — Peoples Television Network and the Presidential Broadcast Service-Bureau of Broadcast Services — form the media arm of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) led by Secretary Cheloy Garafil.

In her speech during the awarding ceremony Friday, Garafil said settling the claims of the IBC retirees was one of the marching orders of President Marcos. “The President gave the instruction to help resolve their claims as addressing the welfare of media workers is one of the cornerstones of his administration and of the PCO. So it is a great honor for me to be able to be part of this much-awaited and much-deserved awarding of benefits to our colleagues in the media,” Garafil said.

For his part, IBC-13 President and CEO Jimmie Policarpio said the development benefitted around 200 families. Most of the remaining retirees are already on maintenance medicines or face a host of medical problems while some are “gravely ill,” Policarpio said.

“With spirits of thanksgiving, they can now look forward to enjoying their waning years with dignity and pride in having served God, country and people,” the IBC-13 management said.

Policarpio thanked the government of President Marcos for providing the environment that helped facilitate the release of the retirement pay. He also extended gratitude to the Senate of the Philippines especially to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Koko Pimentel, Jinggoy Estrada, and JV Ejercito who sponsored the bill sponsor that made the payment possible. The IBC-13 management also thanked House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and the Governance Council for Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG) headed by Chairman Atty. Marius Corpus. (PND)