Susie Bugante

Ronaldo Torres (not his real name) had been employed with a chemical company for seven years when he turned 65 years old in February 2015. Because of Torres’s age, the company stopped deducting and remitting his contributions to the Social Security System (SSS). While Torres had a date of coverage of November 1983, he only had 116 monthly contributions to his account at that time. In order to qualify to a retirement pension from the SSS, he should have contributed at least 120 monthly contributions.

Among the sources of Filipino pride is our sacred tradition to treat the elderly with utmost respect and reverence in recognition of their valuable wisdom acquired through decades of life experiences. For those of us who grew up with our grandparents, their role in shaping our values and beliefs during our growing up years is undeniable.

As far as personal milestones and bucket lists go, purchasing a house ranks high in anyone’s list of life goals. Buying one’s own home demonstrates courage and reflects a solid long-term commitment to invest in the future, given the sheer amount of funds, discipline and sacrifice often required to fully pay for the residential property. Purchasing your own house is certainly a source of immense pride and joy.

What is this loan-restructuring program (LRP) that we have been hearing about? Is this the same as a condonation program? These are some of the questions that members of the Social Security System (SSS) have been asking since the LRP was launched in late-April this year.

The Balikat ng Bayan Awards, established in 1995, is annually given to companies, institutions and individuals who have contributed in a significant way in helping the Social Security System (SSS) achieve its mandate.

In commemoration of its 59th anniversary, the Social Security System (SSS) is opening the doors of more than a hundred SSS branches all over the country for its members, especially calamity-affected SSS borrowers who want to apply for the SSS Loan Restructuring Program (LRP).

ON September 1 the Social Security System (SSS) will celebrate its 59 years of faithful service to the Filipino people—just one year shy of being a senior corporate citizen. But they say, as institutions go, the SSS is still pretty young and, hopefully, still has so many more years to go in the service of the private-sector workers and their families.

One of the often asked questions by the public about the Social Security System (SSS) pertains to who are the rightful beneficiaries of a member. Republic Act 8282, the law that governs the SSS, has very specific provisions on who the beneficiaries of a member should be.

Modern technology has afforded society countless means on how to do things the easier way, so that we can save time, money and effort in performing our tasks, whether in our personal or professional lives. A stellar example is the use of cards in our payment systems, which minimizes the need to carry large amounts of cash in our wallets and greatly enhances our capability to make purchases to address our needs and even satisfy our wants.

Time and again, Social Security System (SSS) members are reminded to update their personal records with the SSS, to avoid delays in the processing of their current and future benefits. This is an obligation that holds true not only for individual members, but also for employers or company members who are bound by law to provide social protection to their employees.

A few Social Security System (SSS) members have written to ask for some clarifications and I would like to share the questions and answers with you.

Do you know that the Social Security System (SSS), under the Social Security Act of 1997 (Republic Act 8282) “…shall be directed and controlled by a Social Security Commission [SSC], hereinafter referred to as ‘commission,’ composed of the Secretary of Labor and Employment or his duly designated undersecretary, the SSS president and seven appointive members, three of whom shall represent the workers’ group, at least one of whom shall be a woman; three, the employers’ group, at least one of whom shall be a woman; and one, the general public, whose representative shall have adequate knowledge and experience regarding social security, to be appointed by the President of the Philippines”? The law further provides that “the six members representing workers and employers shall be chosen from among the nominees of workers’ and employers’ organizations, respectively.”

With modern technology, it is now possible for Social Security System (SSS) pensioners to comply with the Annual Confirmation of Pensioners (Acop) program wherever they are in the world. The Acop is the SSS’s way of ensuring that the rightful beneficiary continues to enjoy his or her pension benefit by making an appearance once a year during his or her birth month at the nearest SSS branch or at his or her depository bank.

Starting April 28, 2016, the Social Security System (SSS) launched the Loan Restructuring Program (LRP) for members with past due calamity and other short-term loans who reside or work in calamity areas declared by the national government or the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Members have until April 27, 2017, or one year, to avail themselves of the program.

One of the marching orders of newly installed President Duterte is for government agencies to cut red tape in order to speed up service delivery to the public.  For a service institution such as the Social Security System (SSS), which serves millions of members and their beneficiaries, providing delightful service is a constant challenge.

Conclusion

Part Three

Part Two

Part One

Even without looking up labor statistics, it is easy to see that the Philippines has a large pool of workers belonging to the informal economy. These own-account or self-employed workers providing small-scale goods and services comprise up to three-fourths of the local labor population, based on World Bank data. Many of them come from rural areas, but even urban regions have their fair share of informal-sector workers, such as public-transport workers and market vendors, to name a few.

There are instances when Social Security System (SSS) benefit claims are contested by the legal beneficiaries. Oftentimes, the issue is who among the beneficiaries has a valid claim? That was the question in the case of the beneficiaries of Maximiano P.

The Social Security System (SSS) recently added 30 more days to the five-day notification period for sickness or illnesses of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that do not require hospitalization. This move was done in consideration of the OFWs’ limited time and accessibility to SSS offices while abroad.

Having incorrect or un-updated personal record with the Social Security System (SSS) could be problematic, especially at a time when one applies for a benefit claim.

While Filipinos are admired for their resilience, it is linked with the sad reality that our countrymen are left with no choice but to survive in the face of the natural disasters that visit the Philippines every year. Recent years have afflicted the country with calamities of punishing proportions, such as Tropical Storm Ondoy in 2009 and Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2013.

UNDER the existing rules of the Social Security System (SSS), sickness and maternity benefits are paid in advance by the employers to their qualified employees, to be reimbursed later by the SSS.

Starting April 15, 2016, Social Security System (SSS) members who wish to save more for their retirement through the SSS Personal Equity Savings Option (Peso), a provident-fund scheme that aims to increase savings among members, may now enroll in the program through the Web.

I recently received a complaint from a Social Security System (SSS) member about the failure of his employer to submit the corresponding report of his salary loan payments so that as far as SSS was concerned, no payments had been made as they were not posted into his account.  The member, therefore, was not qualified to renew his loan.

MILLIONS of Filipinos commemorated the end of the Lenten season two weekends ago, which is arguably one of the most awaited of yearly holidays in this country, apart, of course, from the Christmas season. Families and individuals spent the recent four-day Holy Week break by going back to their hometowns, visiting churches, participating in religious activities, and reconnecting with friends and relatives. A time of reflection and repentance, the Lenten season served as an opportunity to look back at our past mistakes and meditate on their root causes, so that we can start anew and live out a better version of ourselves.

What happens if a member passes away without claiming his or her retirement benefit, even though he or she was entitled to it?

Social Security System (SSS) members—both individuals and employers—don’t have to go to the agency’s branch just to inquire about their contributions records, file sickness or maternity notifications or even salary-loan applications. They can do all these transactions in the comfort of their offices or homes, for as long as they have Internet access.

VALUE for money is often defined as utility derived for every sum of money spent. Every financially savvy person would often look at the value for money every time he or she spends and this would probably explain why mall sales often get mobbed by bargain hunters. That is well and good. But have you thought of value for money that is saved? Or is there such a thing?

QUR elders used to say, if you want to invest your money, buy a good piece of land. It’s tangible, it cannot be destroyed and it appreciates in value. It’s low maintenance, as well.

IN the wake of the presidential veto of the bill seeking to increase by P2,000 the pensions of Social Security System (SSS) pensioners, one of the often-mentioned solution to shore up SSS funds was to improve its collection efficiency. Proponents of the measure claim that SSS collection efficiency is only 38 percent and, therefore, it should exert more effort to collect more in order to have more funds to finance the proposed pension hike.

FOUR years since the AlkanSSSya Program was started in Payatas, a large number of garbage pickers, street sweepers and landfill workers there have seen how their lives have changed by the small amounts that they save daily for their monthly Social Security System (SSS) contributions. They have been able to take out salary loans for immediate financial needs, educational loans for their children’s schooling, maternity benefits for childbirth and funeral grants for untimely deaths.

MALACAÑANG’S veto of House Bill 5842, providing for the P2,000 pension increase for Social Security System (SSS) pensioners, has triggered intense discussions across the country on various aspects of SSS operations in recent weeks. We understand the disappointment felt by our pensioners who have been given the impression by some sectors that the P2,000 pension increase was already a done deal, even when the bill was still in the earlier stages of legislation.

THE onset of a new year is a time of fresh beginnings, with a clean slate waiting to be filled with exciting feats and personal milestones for the next 12 months. New—or admittedly neglected, but now renewed—commitments to lose weight, quit smoking, sleep early, go to the gym, spend more time with family, learn a new skill and travel more are often just some of the usual resolutions that are prompted by the start of another year.

EVERY 30th of December we commemorate the death of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and the day is aptly called Rizal Day. On this day, we pay tribute to an extraordinary person who is known to be the pride of the Malayan race. He was considered a genius, a man of incredible intellectual power and artistic abilities. While he was opposed to the use of violence, he wrote and spoke against Spanish tyranny, making him an enemy of the state.  His martyrdom on December 29, 1896, spurred the Philippine Revolution until June 12, 1898, when the Philippines declared its independence from Spain.

IN my family, celebrating Christmas is the No. 1 family tradition that we observe. No matter where the members of the family are, everyone makes it a point to come home for Christmas. Even when both parents are now gone, I and my siblings continue the family tradition of being “home” for Christmas. Thus, on Christmas Eve, usually after coming from church, the whole family—grandchildren, nephews and nieces,  brothers and sisters—all gather around the table to celebrate the joyous birthday of our Savior Jesus Christ.

NINE days to go before Christmas, the holiday season is indeed in full swing. Homes and buildings sparkle with colorful lights and dazzle with decorations, Christmas songs are played over the radio, and frenzied shoppers at malls and neighborhood bazaars hunt for the perfect gifts for their family, friends, officemates, batchmates, churchmates, neighbors…and the list goes on. Even the Social Security System’s (SSS) 13th- month pensions have been disbursed to SSS partner banks for release to pensioners’ savings accounts, adding more cheer to the Yuletide season.

IF you are one of those who took advantage of initial public offerings (IPOs) in the mid-1990s and borrowed under the Social Security System (SSS) Stock Investment Loan Program (SILP) or the SSS Privatization Fund Loan Program (PFLP) in order to buy the shares you wanted, and later forgot about it, now is your chance to clean up your delinquent loan record.

HERE’S happy news to our pensioners! Close to 2 million Social Security System (SSS) pensioners will receive their 13th-month pension along with their December pension within the month. This is part of the annual tradition began in 1988 as the pension fund’s way of enhancing its pensioners’ benefits.

DO you know that Social Security System (SSS) retirement, total disability and death pensions have a five-year guarantee, that is, if the pensioner has no primary beneficiaries and dies within 60 months from the start of the monthly pension, the secondary beneficiaries shall be entitled to a lump-sum benefit equivalent to the total monthly pensions corresponding to the balance of the five-year guaranteed period excluding the dependent’s pension (and carer’s allowance in the case of disability pensioners)?

THE Social Security System (SSS) continues to improve its processes to make it more convenient for its members to transact business with the agency. The latest innovation that now makes it easier for employers to notify the SSS of the sickness of their employees is the online submission of the sickness notification, an important requirement in the availment of sickness benefits.

LAST weekend Filipinos across the country flocked to memorial parks and cemeteries during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day to visit beloved relatives and friends who have passed away. Known as the Undas holiday, or Todos los Santos, it is a tradition that marks the onset of November every year, with families braving the heavy traffic, heat and humidity, and throngs of people in cemeteries to honor their dearly departed in this special time of the year.

THE Social Security System’s (SSS) salary loan program is one of the most popular SSS programs among members. Over a million actively paying members avail themselves of this loan every year to address their short-term financial needs.

THERE were actually two kinds of flood that Typhoon Lando (international code name Koppu) brought. The first flood left not only devastated areas but also distraught spirits, as some people died and thousands of families became homeless. The next kind of flooding is an outpouring of generosity from various sectors that came in the form of relief goods and monetary donation to help rebuild lives.

LAST week was an interesting one when we witnessed the Senate leadership warn against the possible bankruptcy of the Social Security System (SSS) should the P2,000 across-the-board increase in pensions proposed by House Bill 5842 be passed into law. This is a welcome development for the SSS when key lawmakers expressed support for preserving the long-term viability of the pension fund amid calls for the SSS to implement an across-the-board pension hike of P2,000 without clear provisions on the source of immediate funding for such an increase.

WHEN is the best time to plan for retirement?

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.

WORKERS derive a sense of empowerment from being able to provide for their personal, as well as their loved ones’ basic needs, and even the simple pleasures and luxuries that life has to offer. But when unforeseen contingencies strike, it can make them feel helpless and distressed at their mounting bills and financial obligations, especially when these events impair their ability to earn a living.

Second of four parts

QUITE a number of Social Security System (SSS) members encounter some problems with their records just when they are about to file their retirement claims. These problems often cause the delay in the processing of their claims.

IF you are planning on setting up a business, one of the requirements that you have to do is register with the Social Security System (SSS). Whether your business is a single proprietorship, partnership, corporation, cooperative, nonstock or nonprofit corporation and a manning agency with foreign principal, you have to report it to the SSS by filling out Form R-1, or the Employer Registration form.

PARSA H., a Muslim member, died in May 2012. His Form E-1 (Member Data Record) did not indicate any beneficiary. In June of the same year, his second wife Eliza filed for and was granted a funeral claim with the Social Security System (SSS). In August the first wife Margarita filed a death-benefit claim.

A letter writer, Mrs. V, was the legal wife of Social Security System (SSS) member Pedro, who died three years ago. She had been receiving the death pension for three years when it was stopped by the SSS, after a contesting death claim was filed by Ms. A., Pedro’s common-law wife, with whom he had two illegitimate children.  Mrs. V would like to know why her pension was stopped, and why should the pension for illegitimate children be taken from her pension as the primary beneficiary.

THEY say that the Social Security System’s (SSS) programs provide assistance from womb to tomb, or from cradle to grave. It provides cash assistance for child-birth or maternity, sickness, disability, old age or retirement, and death. I say, even beyond death, members’ beneficiaries are cared for with death benefits or survivorship pension, as well as the funeral grant.

DID you know that if you are a self-employed or voluntary member, household employer and overseas Filipino worker, there is a more convenient way for you to remit your contributions to the Social Security System (SSS)? Called the automatic-debit arrangement (ADA), all you need to do to enroll under ADA is to open an account—savings or current—in any of the banks participating under the program, and make sure to maintain a deposit that will be sufficient to cover the amount needed to pay for your SSS contributions and/or loan amortizations.

IF you are a worker in the private sector, whether as employee or self-employed and you are not yet over 60 years old, you are compulsorily covered under the Social Security System (SSS).

THIS is a question often asked by female members of the Social Security System (SSS) who had become pregnant outside of marriage. In reply, let me cite Section 14-A of the Social Security Law, which provides for the maternity-leave benefit as follows:

LAST week members of the news media asked for the Social Security System’s (SSS) reaction to the possible P2,000 across-the-board increase in pensions being proposed in Congress. SSS President Emilio S. de Quiros Jr. said that, while the SSS wants its members and pensioners to have better benefits, it, too, has the responsibility to ensure the long-term viability of the pension fund.

IN the past week, talks about the fund life of the Social Security System (SSS) hogged the business news. Some started computing their age as against the life of the pension fund, which is projected to last until 2042. This means that SSS can pay all its obligations up to 27 years from today.

EARLY this year, the Social Security System (SSS) announced a way for members to settle their outstanding stock investment and/or privatization fund loans by exercising their option to sell their stocks at prevailing market value and then paying their loans from the proceeds of the sale.

THERE have been some online discussions recently about how Social Security System (SSS) retirement pensions are computed after it became a topic in a television program. It couldn’t be avoided that SSS pensioners compare the amount of their pensions, and often these discussions lead to questions about how their retirement pensions were computed and what the difference is between someone who contributes minimally over someone who pays based on the maximum salary credit. Let me take this opportunity to illustrate theoretically the cases of two retirees, Mr. A and Mr. B, as follows. But let me cite first some relevant policies.

THIS is a question often asked by the beneficiaries or relatives of a deceased Social Security System (SSS) member.  In fact, a letter-writer Ms. S—whose deceased mother, Mrs. J, was a registered self-employed member of the SSS—is asking if she is entitled to this benefit.

EVEN before John Naisbitt, author of the 1982 blockbuster book Megatrends, said that there will be migration of workers from North to South and vice versa, the phenomenon of Filipino diaspora to job-rich countries had already begun a decade before.

THE tragic Kentex slipper-factory fire in Valenzuela City, which snuffed out some 72 lives as of the latest count, was clearly a result of corporate greed and is a painful eye-opener to many. It is said to be the third-worst fire incident in Philippine history—the worst being the Ozone Disco club fire in 1996 that killed 162 people, followed by the Manor hotel fire in 2001 that claimed 75 lives, both in Quezon City.

ASIA is now facing an imminent graying of its population which is predicted to be most rapid between 2010 and 2030, based on studies by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.  In the Philippines an improved national medical plan and increased awareness on wellness programs are making the aged live longer.

A number of Social Security System (SSS) members have written to inquire about various concerns, and I would like to share some of them here for the information of other members.

DO you know that if you are a Social Security System (SSS) retirement pensioner, your pension is guaranteed for five years?

AS a Social Security System (SSS) member, your right to social- security benefits is assured by the number of contributions you have made to the pension fund. For instance, to be entitled to sickness benefits, you only need at least three monthly contributions within the 12-month period preceding the semester of illness. To qualify for disability or death pension, the minimum number of contributions required is 36 months; for retirement pension, 120 months. Your contributions keep the pension fund going and finance the benefits you receive.

Part 2

Part 1

THAT is a question made famous by the great William Shakespeare in his play Romeo and Juliet. In the stage play’s celebrated balcony scene, Juliet worries over Romeo being a Montague, the sworn enemy of her family, the Capulets. Hence, in her monologue, she says: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

THE dictionary defines fraud as “wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.”

DO you know that Taiwan is a popular destination for Filipinos looking for jobs overseas? Not only because of the higher pay to be had there but also because of the proximity, tropical climate, familiar cuisine and other cultural similarities, Taiwan is an attractive place of work to many.   Based on the latest statistics of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), more than 41,000 newly hired and rehired Filipino workers left for Taiwan as of end-2013, 22 percent higher than the Filipino jobseekers five years before. Given the increasing trend from 2009 to 2013, it won’t be surprising to know that the number of Taiwan-bound workers has grown by the end of 2014.

THE Social Security System (SSS) was set up basically as a pension fund for private sector workers, who are no longer able to work due to old age and disability. It also takes care of its members’ short-term needs in the form of sickness and maternity benefits. But its mandate goes beyond taking care of its members. It also provides for the spouses and minor or dependent children in the event of the members’ death.

DO you know that you can access your own membership record with the Social Security System (SSS) through the Internet? You don’t have to wait in long lines at SSS counters or be put on hold over the telephone in order to get information about your contribution history or benefit application. You simply need to register at the My.SSS, an online service portal of the enhanced SSS web site (www.sss.gov.ph) to gain access to your social-security records and to submit transactions online either as an individual or employer (company) member.

FOR almost four years now, the Social Security System (SSS) has been aggressively pursuing the coverage of informal sector workers including self-employed farmers through a partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Contractualization of the labor force is a global phenomenon that has been happening for some time now. It means replacing regular workers with temporary workers who receive lower wages with fewer benefits or none at all. It is practiced not only in the private sector—even the government bureaucracy employs contractual or job-order (JO) workers who, heretofore, were neither Social Security System (SSS) nor Government Service Insurance System members.

REPUBLIC Act 9485, also known as the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) of 2007, was enacted to “improve the efficiency in the delivery of government service to the public by reducing bureaucratic red tape, preventing graft and corruption, and providing penalties therefore….” Eight years after, the Civil Service Commission (CSC)—the agency tasked to ensure the proper implementation of and monitor compliance to this law—has gone a long way in carrying out its task.

IF you don’t know the answer to that question, most probably your loan is delinquent. Otherwise you would have said that you had sold your stock investment and made a neat profit out of it. Or you could say, what stock investment loan?

POPE Francis is now back in Vatican City and yet the Pope Francis effect continues to captivate the hearts of millions of Filipinos. Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, archbishop of Manila, called on the Catholic faithful to live out and put into action the words of the pope, who in the six homilies that he gave during his five-day visit to the Philippines, repeatedly challenged his flock to care for the poor.