Governor accused of taking credit for increase in retirement benefits.

By THE STAR STAFF

Former Popular Democratic Party representative José Rivera Madera accused Governor Jenniffer González Colón of improperly taking credit for the increase in retirement benefits for the Puerto Rico Police.

Rivera Madera stated that the increase is not a result of the current administration, but rather of legislation passed during the previous four-year term under a Popular Democratic Party majority. He explained that the Police Retirement Trust is funded through Law 104 of 2022 and Laws 42 and 112 of 2024, all of which he authored. These measures, he indicated, arose from a negotiation process focused on regulating gambling machines to ensure better pensions for officers.

The former legislator also criticized the New Progressive Party, alleging that its delegation obstructed negotiations with the Fiscal Oversight Board and failed to grasp the urgency of the issue. “It’s a shame that they’re trying to deceive the police with false narratives,” he stated, maintaining that the achievement is the result of prior legislative work and a commitment to law enforcement officers.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Carlos Méndez Núñez, defended current efforts to improve working conditions for police officers and assured that he would prioritize the approval of a budget allocation for salary increases. The proposal includes approximately $45 million in the 2026-2027 budget to make the first raise in more than a decade possible.

House Vice President Ángel Peña Ramírez endorsed the initiative and detailed that the budget includes $28 million to implement new salary scales, as well as an additional $17 million to develop compensation guidelines, totaling around $46 million.

Likewise, the chairman of the Public Safety Commission, Félix Pacheco Burgos, supported the measure and emphasized that both the governor and the House are seeking to do justice to the members of the Police Force after years without raises.