NOT every worker is entitled to a regular payday. For informal-sector workers, such as farmers, fishermen and even your friendly neighborhood tricycle driver, income can be erratic, leaving them and their dependents helpless amid the whims of nature and circumstances that hinder them from earning their keep for the day.
The Social Security System (SSS) is one with the national government in the pursuit for inclusive growth so that workers from all walks of life enjoy access to social protection. Within the past five years, it initiated service innovations that bring workers from the most vulnerable sectors of society within the SSS’s mantle of protection. At the forefront of these initiatives are the AlkanSSSya program and partner-agent arrangements with cooperatives and microfinance institutions that cater to informal-sector workers.
The SSS’s pursuit for inclusive growth requires an expansive reach. While the SSS continues to widen its network of offices in the Philippines and overseas, the institution cannot achieve its objectives on its own. It needs the help of its partner-institutions and -organizations to carry out its mandate.
In recognition of the invaluable service of its partners, the SSS instituted the Balikat ng Bayan Awards in 1995 to honor and acknowledge them. The awarding ceremonies have become a yearly tradition of the SSS’s anniversary celebration in the month of September.
During the 2015 Balikat ng Bayan Awards at the SSS main office in Quezon City on September 18, special citations were conferred on the International Labor Organization as social-security partner for workers affected by Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan); Simbag sa Pag-Asenso Inc. (SEDP) as accredited servicing and collecting partner-agent; and the Quezon City Government-Office of the Vice Mayor and the Villa Cristina Verdan Rey Villeco Camella Manuela Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association as AlkanSSSya program partners.
The annual SSS awards also laud top-performing employers for the year. By design, employers are key partners of the SSS in the implementation of social-security programs for private-sector workers. Under the Social Security Law, employers are obligated to report their workers for SSS coverage within 30 days from start of employment and facilitate the regular and timely remittance of their employees’ monthly contributions. For 2015 the national winners of the Top Employer awards were National Book Store and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry for the large, and small and medium accounts, respectively.
The Balikat ng Bayan Awards also honors the SSS’s best collecting and paying partners. As a pension fund managing billions of pesos, the SSS needs safe, accessible and reliable channels for collecting contributions, and paying pensions and benefits to members and beneficiaries.
This year’s winners for best collection partners are Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) (BPI, commercial bank); Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Savings Bank (thrift bank); One Network Bank Inc. (ONB, rural bank); CIS Bayad Center Inc. (nonoverseas Filipino workers (OFW) collecting partner); and Ventaja International Corp. (OFW collecting partner). Elevated to the Hall of Fame is RCBC Savings Bank for topping its category for five straight years. As for best paying partners, the winners were BPI (commercial bank) Philippine Savings Bank (thrift bank), and ONB (rural bank). The Philippine National Bank also earned a special citation as paying commercial bank.
Disseminating information to more than 32 million individuals is a daunting task for any institution, even for the SSS. This is why the SSS draws support from its media partners in promoting the value of SSS programs and spreading news about its programs and policies. The Balikat ng Bayan Best Media Partners for 2015 are “Jet Connects: Inyong SSS” by SKYcable Davao for broadcast; and the “Dangpanan” column by Rhona Goc-ong-Villariasa from Sun.Star Davao Superbalita for print. This publication, BusinessMirror, also received a special citation for its support in SSS information campaigns.
This year’s anniversary does not only commemorate the 58 years of the SSS. It is also a celebration of the dynamic partnerships the institution has nurtured over the years, bringing the SSS closer toward the vision of inclusive growth and universal social protection for Filipino workers.
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For more information about the SSS and its programs, call the 24-hour call center at (632) 920-6446 to 55, Monday to Friday, or send an e-mail to member_relations@sss.gov.ph.
Susie G. Bugante is the vice president for public affairs and special events of the Social Security System. Send comments about this column to susiebugante.bmirror@gmail.com.