SSS collects P128 million in overdue contributions from delinquent employers

MANILA, Philippines - The Social Security System (SSS), the state-owned pension fund for private employees, said it has collected a total of P127.74 million in overdue contributions from delinquent employers.

The amount was remitted under an amnesty program offered by the agency to delinquent employers. The program aims to help workers regain access to social security benefits and loans, said SSS spokesman Joel Palacios.

A total of 1,173 employers applied for amnesty, with 46 percent paying delinquencies in full and the rest paying by installment, Palacios said.

He said employers who fully paid in cash remitted P59.95 million while installment payments, which represent the encashed post-dated checks and five percent downpayment, amounted to P67.79 million.

“In the spirit of Labor Day celebrations, we call on employers to uphold their duties to their workers under the Social Security Law,” Palacios said.

He said that part of employers’ responsibility is to ensure that they are updated in remitting their employees’ contributions.

Deliquent employers’ contributions to SSS has been a major problem for the agency.

Palacios said payment of contributions is a major factor in determining members’ eligibility for SSS benefits, which protect workers and their families during times of disability, maternity, sickness, old age or retirement and death.

SSS also checks the number of contributions in granting loans to members.

The SSS has been implementing a six-month amnesty program that allows employers to settle their delinquencies without paying the corresponding penalties. SSS charges a three percent monthly penalty for late contributions.

Palacios said employers can still settle their obligations to the agency until the end of July.