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An active SSS member with at least one monthly contribution and SSS pensioners may apply for
the new SS ID by filling out and submitting an SSS Form E-6 to the nearest SSS branch that has
facilities for SS ID capture.
SSS Form E-6 must be submitted together with any of the following primary documents:
• Passport
• Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) card
• Seaman's book
In the absence of any of these documents, the applicant may present any two of the following
documents, provided at least one document contains the applicant's photograph:
• Driver's license
• Valid National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance
• School or company ID
• Postal ID
• Senior citizen card
• Major credit card
• Voter's ID
• Savings account passbook
• Alien certificate of registration
• Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) member's record
• Certification from the Office of Southern/Northern Cultural Communities or Office of
Muslim Affairs
• Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) card
When you submit your application, the SSS will immediately obtain your personal data (i.e. your
fingerprints, facial image, signature, and personal identification number will be electronically
recorded) for transfer to your new ID card. The ID card will be mailed to the address you
specified on your Form E-6. If you do not receive your ID within 30 days from the date on which
you applied, you may inquire from any SSS branch in your area.
The new SSS ID card is issued free for first-time applicants. However, a replacement fee will be
charged under the following circumstances:
• when the ID card is lost
• when the ID card is damaged
• when the applicant avails of the option to omit the printing of the date of birth on the card
You may download a copy of SSS Form E-6 by following this link.
Registration Procedure
A person registering with the SSS for the first time as an employee, self-employed, non-
working spouse or OFW should submit, together with the SSS registration form, a
photocopy of his/her birth or baptismal certificate or passport. In the absence of these
documents, any two of the following documents:
○ record of employment
○ GSIS member's record
○ certificate from the National Archive
○ birth/baptismal certificate of children
○ marriage contract
○ driver’s license
○ school records or voter’s ID card
○ Alien Certificate of Registration, or
○ joint affidavit of two disinterested parties attesting to the correct name and/or fact
of birth of the person concerned
A married person should also submit his or her marriage contract upon registration. If
reporting children, he or she should submit the birth or baptismal certificate of the child,
if legitimate; proof of filiation showing acknowledgment of the child, if illegitimate; or
decree of adoption, if legally adopted.
The original or certified true copies of these documents should be presented to the SSS
for authentication.
2. For Employees
An employee should accomplish SSS Form E-1 (Personal Data Record) and submit it
together with the general requirements.
3. For Employers
○ Partnerships
Any of the partners of a partnership firm should accomplish SSS Forms R-1
(Employer's Data Record) and R-1A (Initial or Subsequent List of Employees)
and submit these forms together with a photocopy of the Articles of Partnership.
The original copy of the Articles of Partnership must be presented for
authentication.
○ Corporations
A corporation must accomplish SSS Forms R-1 (Employer's Data Record) and R-
1A (Initial or Subsequent List of Employees) signed by its President or any of the
corporate officers or incorporators and submit these forms together with the
photocopy of the Articles of Incorporation. The original copy of the Articles of
Incorporation must be presented to the SSS for authentication.
○ Household-Helper Employers
A household-helper employer who has an existing SS number should use his
personal SS number as his employer number in all transactions with regard to his
household-helper. If the employer has no existing SS number, he should get his
SS number by accomplishing SSS Form E-1 (Member's Data Record).
○ Separated Members
○ Non-Working Spouses
An OFW should accomplish SSS Form OW-1 (Overseas Worker Record Form)
and submit it together with the general requirements.
How can a member change the data in his membership records?
Changes in a member's record should be reported immediately to the nearest SSS office by
accomplishing SSS Form E-4 (Member's Data Amendment Form). He should submit a
photocopy of the following:
• marriage certificate for change of status
• birth or baptismal certificates of children for change or addition of dependents
• birth or baptismal certificate for correction of birth date and name
In case of non-availability of birth record or baptismal certificate, submit a certificate of loss or
non-availability from the local civil registrar of the place where the member was born and from
the parish priest of the locality where the member was baptized, together with any two of the
following documents:
• record of employment
• GSIS member's record
• certificate from the National Archive
• Alien Certificate of Registration
• birth/baptismal certificates of children
• marriage contract
• school records
• passport
• joint affidavit of two disinterested parties attesting to the correct name and/or fact of birth
of the person concerned
The original or certified true copies of the documents should be presented to the SSS for
authentication.
The legal beneficiaries of a married member are his legally married spouse, legitimate,
legitimated, legally adopted or illegitimate children. These are his primary beneficiaries.
If he is single, his benefits will go to his dependent parents, who are considered his secondary
beneficiaries.
In the absence of both primary and secondary beneficiaries, whoever is designated by the
member in his membership record becomes the legal beneficiary.
When the member loses his SS ID card or cannot remember his SS number, should he
secure another SS number?
No. The SS number assigned to a member is his lifetime number and must always be used in all
transactions with the SSS. He should not secure another number at any other time.
If he wishes to secure another SS ID and cannot remember his SS number, he may inquire from
the nearest SSS office.
An employer may also participate in the SSSNet, a computer service using the electronic
data interchange technology, designed to hasten the posting of employees contributions
for faster processing and availment of benefits and loan privileges. Employers who are
using this facility shall pay their employees' contributions and transmit both the employee
and employer contributions data on or before the 10th day following the month when said
contributions are due and applicable.
Or, the employer may opt to participate in the R3 Tape/ Diskette Project, which allows
the submission of the quarterly summary of employees' contributions thru a computer
tape or diskette. This system is a better alternative to manual reporting as it minimizes
encoding errors and processing time. Under this scheme, the employer shall submit the
R3 tape or diskette on or before the last working day of the applicable month.
6. issue official receipts and maintain official records of employment and remittances for all
contributions deducted from his employees every month or indicate such deductions from
his employees' pay envelopes;
A household helper employer should submit an accomplished SSS Form H-3 (Quarterly
Collection List for Househelpers) together with the SSS Form R-5s. Household helpers
employers in the National Capital Region may enroll in the Auto-Debit Arrangement
System, which allows the one-time enrollment of the employer's bank account for the
automatic payment of monthly SS contributions and loan repayments. This arrangement
is open at the United Coconut Planters Bank, Far East Bank and Trust Co., Equitable
Bank, Bank of the Philippine Islands, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. and the Philippine
National Bank.
7. remit to the SSS all salary, educational, stocks investment or privatization loan
amortization of his employees and submit an accomplished SSS Form ML-1 (Quarterly
Salary/ Educational/ Calamity/ Stock Investment Loan Payment Return Form) to any of
the SSS-accredited banks on or before the 20th day of the month after the applicable
quarter; submit a summary of all employees' loan amortization thru an accomplished SSS
Form ML-2 (Collection List) with copies of the SBRs and SSS Form ML-1 to the nearest
branch or Postal Services Office within 10 days after the applicable quarter;
An employer may also participate in the Salary Loan Repayment Tape/Diskette project,
which allows the submission of the quarterly summary of employees' loan repayment
thru a computer tape or diskette. This system provides the employer with convenience
and hastens the posting of member's loan repayments. Under this scheme, the employer
shall submit the ML-2 tape or diskette on or before the last working day of the applicable
month.
8. advance SS and EC sickness benefits due his employees once these are approved by the
SSS;
9. advance SS maternity benefits due to qualified female employees;
10. file for reimbursement for all legally advanced sickness and maternity benefits;
11. keep his employees updated on the changes in SSS policies and increases in their
benefits;
12. ensure that all forms submitted are properly and accurately accomplished;
13. inform SSS of any change in company address, business name, or temporary/permanent
cessation of business operations thru the submission of a duly notarized SSS Form R-8
(Employer's Data Amendment Form);
14. submit annually an updated SSS Form L-501 (Specimen Signature Card); and,
15. certify Medicare forms and other SSS-related documents for the employees when
required for purposes of their claims.
Contributions
Monthly contributions based on the gross compensation of SSS members are payable
under two programs, as follows:
1. SSS - 9.4% average monthly compensation not exceeding P15,000 and payable by both
employer (6.07%) and employee (3.33%).
2. EC - 1% of average monthly compensation not exceeding P1,000 and payable only by
the employer.
What is the basis for determining the monthly salary credit and monthly contributions of
an SSS member?
1. For an employee - The monthly salary credit should be based on the total actual
remuneration from employment, including cost of living allowance, as well as the cash
value of any remuneration paid in kind as stated in the Social Security Law of 1997, Sec.
8 (f).
The monthly contributions of a member can be determined based on his monthly salary
credit which will be according to the Table of Contributions.
2. For self-employed or voluntary members - the monthly earnings declared at the time of
registration shall be the basis of his monthly salary credit. However, the declared earnings
should not be lower than P1,000 per month except for the OFWs whose lowest monthly
salary credit is pegged at P3,000.
What is the minimum/maximum monthly salary credit of a member?
The minimum monthly salary credit is P1,000 and the maximum is P15,000 beginning January
2002.
The employer should use SSS Form R-5 (Contributions Payment Return) for payments
over-the-counter and through accredited banks. Household employers may also pay
through ADA.
The self-employed should use SSS Form RS-5 (Contributions Payment Return for Self-
employed/ Voluntary Members) for payment through accredited banks or over-the-
counter. He may also pay through ADA.
3. For a voluntary member, including non-working spouses and OFWs - monthly. The
voluntary member should use SSS Form RS-5 (Contributions Payment Return for Self-
employed/ Voluntary Members) for payment through accredited banks or over-the-
counter. He may also pay through ADA.
Self-employed and voluntary members are allowed to change their monthly salary credit
(MSC) once in a given year without a need for a written request. Increase or decrease in
MSC shall be up to 20 percent of the current MSC but in no case shall it be lower than
P1,000 (P3,000 for OFWs). Increase made in excess of 20 percent shall require the
presentation and submission of a copy of the income tax return (ITR) for the prior year,
duly received by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
2. Household employers who remit through automatic debit arrangement (ADA) - reporting
is done between the SSS and the bank upon enrollment of the employer.
http://www.gov.ph/faqs/socialsecurity.asp
http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/2004-2005/asia/philippines.html
http://www.lawphil.net/administ/sss/sss.html
CORAZON DE LA
PAZ-BERNARDO
President and CEO
of SSS
INTERVIEW
CORAZON DE LA
PAZ-BERNARDO
President and CEO
of SSS
As of today, how many Filipinos are benefiting from the services of SSS?
Today we have over 27 million people benefiting from their SSS membership. There are
about 1.2 million Filipinos receiving pension payments for retirement, disability and old age.
And, of course, there are the beneficiaries or dependents of these disabled and old age
pensioners who have died.
Actual studies have shown that our pensioners are often also the heads of their families. As
such, their monthly pensions are used not just for themselves, but also by their families for
sending children to school, paying rent, or whatever. This is because of the extended family
system inherent in the Filipino culture, wherein members of the family help each other.
However, we are encouraging people to not just solely rely on their pensions but to find
other income sources, if needed, especially since the pension that they get from the SSS or
other pension institutions is meant to be just a partial replacement of their former income.
On a day-to-day basis, we service easily almost 400 thousand people in our branches here
and overseas, many of them requesting information on their accounts and applying for
benefits.
Since you assumed office in 2001, there are 5 million more members that
registered to SSS. What are the key reasons of your performance?
It's not just about the number of the member registrations but more importantly, the level
of compliance. We are asking our members to be more aware of their SSS obligations by
paying their contributions regularly and, if possible, on a higher salary bracket. This will
eventually ensure that they get higher levels of benefits. We have also designed our loan
programs wherein borrowers must fulfill their loan obligations; otherwise, they would not be
eligible for their social security benefits.
We have initiated an expansion of our membership, not only to cover the employed people,
but also those who are self-employed and the voluntary members. There are about 8 million
of the self-employed farmers, fishermen and informal sector workers, as well as practicing
professionals. On top of that, we have 19 million employed members. We also have a lot of
employers who are members.
We require the coverage and payment of premiums of house helpers by their employers
because this as a way of helping them when they retire or are no longer able to work, so
that they can be covered for health insurance purposes or for social security programs.
In fact, we are starting a campaign of making members aware that even in times of
difficulty, it is prudent to continue their active membership, because this is the time when
they need us the most. For example, even if they lose their employment, we encourage
them to continue paying as Voluntary Members at a salary bracket that they can afford, so
that their contribution records do not have gaps. If they continue their membership, there
are more benefits that they can avail of, especially when contingencies arise. The funds of
SSS do not come from our government, but from the savings of our members. Thus, they
will be helping themselves if they continue to contribute.
When I came into the SSS in 2001, we went through a difficult period of facing a shortened
actuarial life. While things have vastly improved since then and our actuarial life has
lengthened to where we can breathe a little easier, we still look for other ways of improving
the longevity of the fund life. You see, with the idea of fund perpetuity comes the concept of
members' confidence. Many members refuse to pay their premiums if they know that our
fund life is drastically short. That was the situation we found ourselves in back then, when
the 1999 actuarial evaluation indicated that we only had 12 to 15 years before the fund life
would dry up, basically because we were paying out more benefits than we were collecting!
Fortunately, we were able to reverse that, and we are doing much better now because of
the many reforms that we had instituted and the cooperation of our own employees to give
up some of their benefits. They also worked very hard without increases in pay and
promotion because they love SSS. Everybody had to sacrifice. Knowing that our charter
strictly defines what and how much we can spend in terms of operational expenses, our
employees themselves started to think of ways to best improve our collections, realizing
that their own income would not go up unless SSS' financial footing becomes stronger.
In terms of improving the performance of SSS, I must mention that several measures have
been implemented since 2001 that effectively strengthened the SS Fund, among the most
effective of which were as follows:
1. Contribution rate increased twice. In March 2003, the 8.4 percent contribution rate was
increased to 9.4 percent, for the first time in 24 years. The rate was again increased
effective January 2007, from 9.4 percent to 10.4 percent.
2. Maximum salary base was increased and credited years of service (CYS) was redefined.
In 2002, the maximum monthly salary level upon which contributions are based was raised
to P15,000 from P12,000. The CYS was also redefined to equal 12 months contributions in a
year. The above measures were aimed at bringing members' actual contributions closer to
their due benefits.
3. Operational enhancements. Various operational initiatives were made to increase
collection and income, while reducing expenses and rationalizing benefits. These include the
implementation of nationwide branch tellering system and other payment avenues for
members, the hiring and deployment of account officers, the implementation of cost-control
measures, and the rationalization of benefit payments through confirmation of pensioners
and more stringent eligibility requirements.
4. Prudent investments. To ensure that its funds continue growing, the SSS has some
investments in the top companies of the country, such as: PLDT, Ayala, Metrobank, San
Miguel, Meralco, etc. These are big names in the private sector, which give us assurance
that our money will be looked after. They have to be safe havens for our funds. We also
have real properties in some of the best locations in the country. It is a really stable
organization and hopefully, we can nurture it better.
We have seen that, over the years, the SSS has provided homes, education, healthcare, and
businesses to our members. The SSS, because of its funds, is able to come up with a pool of
resources, which the government and the private sector can tap to implement infrastructure
and social projects. It is not just about social services, but also economic development.
However, I must emphasize that the SSS is apolitical. We have no qualms in saying "NO" to
politicians when they ask us to do things which we don't believe would be right for the
System. We also don't just accept offers for people to work with us.
Can you elaborate on the 25% stake that SSS sold to Banco de Oro?
The sale was first made in 2006. There was a tender from the SM Investments Group to buy
our shares. We took advantage of it, but the condition that the Social Security Commission
(the highest policy-making body within SSS) imposed was that there must be the
concurrence of the Supreme Court. At that time, there was still a pending case against
selling our shares. The Supreme Court eventually decided that we could sell. We were able
to get the order in September. That was finalized just last week; we executed the sale last
Friday and we got the payment.
How do you plan to use this money?
We are looking at the best option under the best circumstances. As you know, the whole
world market is going through a state of uncertainty. We have to make sure that wherever
we put our money, it is within our charter, and that it will give us a safe return for our
principal, as well as a better yield than what we would normally get from other sources. This
is part of what our investments people are looking at now. Right now, the money is going to
be deposited in the bank. However, we are exploring various possibilities for putting our
money in long-term investments.
Last September, you were re-elected by acclamation as President of the
International Social Security Association (ISSA) for another three-year term. How
you compare the efficiency of the SSS in the Philippines with the other social
security systems in other countries?
I was re-elected unopposed to a new three-year term as ISSA President; it's an honor that I
proudly share with my countrymen. I was first elected in 2004, and I believe that one of the
reasons why I was considered a viable candidate then was because the ISSA members have
seen the quality of our people who have attended these international meetings, including
our past SSS presidents.
The SSS must be one of the best organizations in the world; otherwise, they would not think
of me as a serious contender for the ISSA top position. Officials from developing countries
often visit the SSS and try to learn many of our programs, particularly how we have become
successful in implementing them. We have someone here who used to be called "Professor"
by our neighbors, he is the former Asia-Pacific Regional Director of ISSA and he is seen as a
good person to give advice on how to start Social Security Programs. We even have
actuaries here in the SSS who have acted as consultants to our neighboring countries on
how they can jumpstart some of their programs. The Filipinos are well known in this part of
the world in providing good instruction and example.
Social Security System has sold a total of P149 million worth of acquired houses
and lots last year at government-sponsored housing fairs as part of efforts to
reduce the housing backlog in the country.
Since its establishment in 1957, the SSS has viewed housing as one of its important
functions. We course our housing loan program through the banks to facilitate processing,
thus members can borrow directly from the bank, and they can get even higher amounts
than what we can afford to lend. We offer direct housing loans only to OFWs and trade union
members.
We actually contributed 80% of the housing loan program of the government in the 1990s.
Unfortunately, we then had a big problem of collecting them. That is why we decided to
work through the banks with good credit investigators, so that we can be assured that our
money will come back to us, and we will be able to use it for other purposes.
Until today, we have regular loan programs to provide housing for our members. Part of the
program that we have with Vice President Noli De Castro, who is the country's "Housing
Czar", is to allow as many of our members (and even non-members) working in government
to buy the houses foreclosed by SSS at prices affordable to them. We also have an ongoing
housing loan penalty condonation and restructuring program to help delinquent-paying
members save the houses that they are about to lose. We try to offer schemes that will
allow them to continue owning their houses, such as waiving interests and penalties so that
they can take care of unpaid accounts. We are giving amnesties on penalties, provided that
they pay the principal. We are helping them as much as we can.
The SSS Flexi-Fund Program is offered to OFWs who are either: 1) recruited from
the Philippines by a foreign-based employer for employment abroad; 2) earning
income in a foreign country; and 3) residing permanently in a foreign country. Can
you tell us more about this program?
We have both a provident fund and a social insurance program for our overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs). The basic social security program is defined benefit, whereas the Flexi-
Fund Program is defined contribution. The Flexi-Fund is a program exclusively for OFWs in
which they give us an amount higher than the regular premium that they are expected to
pay, and thus, they are able to save with us at a rate normally higher than what they would
get from the banks. Anything given to us in excess of the maximum contribution amount
goes to the OFW's Flexi-Fund account.
We have seen people depositing up to P300,000 under the Flexi-Fund Program because they
see that their money is safer with us, and it is yielding more interest. They can then
withdraw their Flexi-Fund savings at some point to enable them to build homes, start
businesses when they return home, or help educate their children.
The tendency for OFWs is to send all of their money to their families back home, and they
don't save anything for themselves and for the future of their families. That is why it is best
that they learn to save something on their own, so that when they return home, there is
something to draw from.
A lot of locals want to take part in the Flexi-Fund Program, but we are still studying if we
can really afford to do all these things at the same time. There is also the PERA Bill, which
has been pending for some time, where on top of all these social insurance programs, you
can set aside a certain amount, and it will serve as a provident fund. This is complete with
tax-deductible features.
According to Vice President Noli de Castro "OFWs should be placed under
mandatory SSS coverage to provide them adequate social protection". Do you see
this happening in the near future?
Yes, we would definitely like this to be implemented, but it would require a change in our
Charter, which could take some time as this will have to pass through Congress. We
recognize that OFWs are among the most vulnerable sectors of society in terms of social
security protection, because more often than not, they are not covered by the social
security institutions of the country where they are working. They basically leave their and
their families' future up to chance. This is why we are really moving from country to country
and entering into bilateral agreements with countries for the mutual social security coverage
of our people.
Nevertheless, the move towards mandatory membership of OFWs to SSS has to be gradual.
Our systems and mechanisms need to be prepared to receive the increased influx of
transactions from OFWs. We have reached the point in our operations where, by sheer size,
peculiarities, and dispersion of our membership, we really have to re-examine how we can
most effectively deal with them. Thus, a move towards electronic or online transactions is
inevitable.
In the meantime, we have made it easier for OFWs to pay their contributions by giving them
quarterly payment schemes. They are even allowed to pay one year in advance. We also
have this web-based application that allows them to make payments. We are working on a
venture with major service providers to allow OFWs to remit their contributions and receive
their benefit payments through an electronic bankcard.
You recently entered into a tie-up with iRemit, allowing OFWs to pay their SSS
contributions via iRemit's Electronic Overseas Collection Service. How would this
new agreement ease the contribution of OFWs to SSS?
Filipinos are spread all over the world. They could be in ships or in houses where they are
not allowed to go out often. They need to be able to access a remittance system so that
they can pay their SSS contributions wherever they are. This is one of the principal reasons
why it was thought that we could have iRemit to help us to expedite the payment.
The other thing is to ease the posting, wherein once they make a payment, it would be
credited to their accounts immediately. With this electronic system, the money is recorded
in their accounts within 2 to 3 days. They like that because if they want to avail of the
benefits, these could easily be given. With millions of Filipinos abroad, this is one way that
we can service them very efficiently.
Another thing we have is the branch tellering service, although it is not yet available in our
branches overseas. Here in the Philippines, most of our branches have tellers to receive
payments from members. Before, it was a no-no to accept cash in our offices because of the
security risks, thus, we went to the banks for efficiency. But as time passed, there was less
number of banks in ratio to the number of our members. It has come to a point when the
banks started to refuse servicing members who were only paying minimum amounts. To be
able to collect P100 thousand, you almost need to collect on a minimum basis from a
thousand people. Can you imagine a small bank being swamped by 30 people all at the
same time?
Thus, we thought that members already in our premises should be allowed to pay there.
Also, because they have the opportunity to interact with our own employees, they can then
be enlightened on the fact that if they would pay us the amount more reflective of their true
income, they would then get more benefits. It's self-declaration. It is hard for us to audit
whether they are telling us their correct income amount or not. There is person-to-person
contact between the contributors and our employees, and it is explained to them what the
benefits are in paying at a higher rate. But we have seen that we have increased collections
because of the personal interactions between the persons paying and our collectors.
Recently SSS has been designated by the President to spearhead the National ID
Program.
Yes, the SSS has been appointed to take charge of the Unified Multi-Purpose ID System, not
the National ID Program. We are now working closely with the other agencies that produce
their own IDs for their members so that we can come up with a unified, inter-operable ID
card. At the same time, we have to clarify issues on how to fund the ID production. If the
SSS were made to produce the funding for it, this would mean that we would produce IDs
other than what we need for our members. However, we cannot spend SSS money for non-
SSS members. Our total SSS membership is around 27 million at the present, of whom only
around 10 million have been issued their biometrics ID cards.
What message would you like to leave to the readers of USA Today?
We are striving to make a success out of our social security programs so that the SSS can
be stronger and generate more revenues. In that way, we can have more SSS members
who will benefit from our programs. We hope for the continued trust and cooperation of the
Filipino community in North America. Let us work together for a better and more viable SSS,
and ultimately, for a stronger Philippines.
Thank you for this interview, we wish you the best in your future endeavors.
http://www.unitedworld-usa.com/reports/philippines2008/interview09.asp
HISTORY
On January 26, 1948, President Manuel A. Roxas proposed a bill seeking to establish
a social security system for wage earners and low-salaried employees. This was
recommended to Congress in his State of the Nation Address.
After the death of President Roxas, Pres. Elpidio Quirino created the Social Security
Study Commission on July 7, 1948. The creation of the commission was his first
official act upon assumption to office. Based on the report of the Study Commission,
a draft of the Social Security Act was submitted to Congress.
In 1954, Rep. Floro Crisologo, Senators Cipriano Primicias and Manuel Briones
introduced bills based on the report of the Social Security Study Commission in the
House of Representatives and in the Senate. These bills were consolidated and
enacted into Republic Act (RA) 1161, better known as the Social Security Act of
1954.
However, business and labor groups objected to the Social Security Act resulting to
a deferment of its implementation.
In 1957, amendatory bills were presented in Congress. These bills were the bases of
RA 1792, which amended the original Social Security Act.
On Sept. 1, 1957, the Social Security Act of 1954 or the Social Security Law (SS Law)
was finally implemented, marking a significant milestone in the social security
program.
Thus, with the implementation of the SS Law, the government also adopted the
social insurance approach to social security, covering the employed segment of the
labor force in the private sector. In 1993, household helpers earning at least P1,000
were included in the compulsory coverage of employees.
The Social Security System (SSS) administers social security protection to workers in
the private sector. On the other hand, the Government Service Insurance System
(GSIS) takes care of workers in the public sector.
On May 1, 1997, Pres. Fidel V. Ramos signed RA 8282, further strengthening the
SSS. Also known as the Social Security Act of 1997, it amended RA 1161, providing
for better benefit packages, expansion of coverage, flexibility in investments, stiffer
penalties for violators of the law, condonation of penalties of delinquent employers
and the establishment of a voluntary provident fund for members. The EC program,
started in 1975, provides double compensation to the worker when the illness,
death or accident occurs during work-related activities. EC benefits are granted only
to members with employers other than themselves.
The SSS used to administer the Medicare program for hospitalization and other
medical needs of private sector workers. The Government Service Insurance System
(GSIS) performed this role for public sector workers. However, with the passage of
Republic Act 7875 or the National Health Insurance Act of 1995, the SSS and GSIS
transferred the administration of the Medicare program to the Philippine Health
Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for an integrated and comprehensive approach
to health development.
VISION
The SSS aims to develop and promote a viable, universal and equitable social
security protection scheme through world-class service
MISSION
It is the policy of the State to establish, develop, promote and perfect a sound and
viable tax-exempt social security system suitable to the needs of the people
throughout the Philippines which shall promote social justice and provide
meaningful protection to members and their families against the hazards of
disability, sickness, maternity, old age, death and other contingencies resulting in
loss of income or financial burden. Toward this end, the State shall endeavor to
extend social security protection to workers and their beneficiaries."
MEMBERSHIP COVERAGE
As of December 2001 (actual)
> Employers (ER) 633,306
> Employees (EE) 19,352,845
> Self-Employed (SE) 4,170,027
http://www.philssa.org/sss.html
Social Security System (SSS) Flexi Fund for Overseas Filipino Workers
What is the SSS Flexi-fund?
The Flexi-fund is a provident fund for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that features flexible
payment terms. It is an additional service provided by the SSS on top of an OFWs regular SSS
membership.
Why do I need the SSS Flexi-fund?
The Flexi-fund is a valuable aid in maximizing your overseas earnings. Your accumlated
contributions to the Flexi-fund are investments for the future, especially when your overseas
employment contract ends. The Flexi-fund is offered on top of the regular SSS benefits for
retirement, disability, and death, among others, which you are also entitled to as an SSS member.
Who may enrol in the SSS Flexi-fund?