The good news that greeted SSS pensioners since the first day of December indeed brought bright and happy smiles on their faces. The SSS has already granted the early release of the annual 13th-month pension to retiree, disability, and death or survivor pensioners.
My contemporaries always tell me that their favorite month of the year is December simply because they are receiving double, just like when they are still working in the corporate world.
Around 2.8 million SSS pensioners are our beneficiaries for this year’s 13th-month and December pensions. Even though it has been a challenging year for SSS pensioners, the yearly tradition of giving 13th-month bonuses is something to look forward to before the year’s end. The annual tradition began in December 1988 as one of our initiatives to enhance the pensioners’ benefits in time for Christmas. As we have done in the past 32 years, the SSS will continue to grant this add-on benefit to its pensioners every year before Christmas.
Generally, it is patterned after the 13th-month pay given to workers in time for the Christmas season. The extra benefit is equal to their basic monthly pension plus the P1,000 additional benefit without the monthly medical allowance for disability pensioners. Retirees, survivors, and disability pensioners are entitled to receive the 13th-month pension. For partial disability pensioners, they should have received a full year’s pension to qualify for the said 13th-month, whereas minor children receiving dependent’s pensions are also entitled to the 13th-month pension.
For SSS pensioners receiving their monthly pensions through banks participating in the Philippine Electronic Fund Transfer System and Operations Network (PESONet), they have already received their 13th-month and December pensions on December 1 and 4, respectively, depending on their date of contingency.
For retiree pensioners, the date of contingency refers to the pensioner’s date of birth, separation from employment, cessation of his/her business, or the first day of the following month/semester from his/her last payment contribution.
For survivor pensioners, however, the date pertains to the date of member’s death, or presumptive death, while for disability pensioners, it is the date of his/her disability.
Pensioners whose date of contingency is from the first up to the month’s 15th day have already received their 13th-month and December pensions last December 1. Meanwhile, pensioners whose date of contingency falls on the 16th to 31st day of the month have received theirs last December 4, while pensioners who recently applied for the advance 18 months pension have already received their 13th-month pension on the same date, December 4.
However, pensioners with accrued pensions due to the resumption of their pension from ACOP non-compliance suspension are also entitled to a 13th-month pension, which they will receive later as scheduled on December 16.
For SSS pensioners with accounts on non-PESONet banks, SSS has already coordinated with the said banks and requested them to release the 13th-month pension on December 4. We have already asked the Philippine Postal Corp. (PhilPost) to expedite the delivery of 13th-month pension checks so SSS pensioners can enjoy their cash benefits during the Yuletide Season. Pensioners receiving benefits via checks only composed about 0.53 percent of the total current number of pensioners as of December 2020.
Covid-19 might have temporarily disrupted our lives, but it cannot postpone the holiday celebration. Christmas will be celebrated everywhere in a new normal setting, and for our pensioners, this is the time to enjoy their benefits with their dearest families and relatives.
A good day to all!
Aurora C. Ignacio is SSS president and chief executive officer.
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7 comments
Pls. don’t kid us. This is according to law, even before your time. Pls. stop advertising yourself.
bakit wala pa po yung 13th month pay death pension ng nanay ko
follow up lang po ng partial disability benefits ko po.
My mother didnt get his pension pa for the month of december together with the 13th month. Is it because of the delays? dapat mainform nang maige dahil u matatanda mahirap pangakuan pag sinabi nyo an ganito petsa dapat ganung petsa abay inaraw araw ako mag dudutdut eh wala parin ano gagawin ko akala tuloy pinakialaman kona dahil dec 1 padaw nag release na kayo ayon sa narinig sa radyo. paki ayos nyo naman yan
I am not getting my 13th month bonus as mentioned here… how do we follow up this problem?
December 2020 wala po akong natanggap na 13th month bonus . Ricardo Susi Bansil sss number 03-3231984-1
What happened to the 14th month pay bonus for the pensioners approved law in 2019 authored by representative Salo? The said law states that pensioners are to receive the said pay not later than the last working day of the month of May.