FILE PHOTO Facade of the Social Security System (SSS) building in Quezon City
MANILA, Philippines — The mobile application of the Social Security System (SSS) would be improved as more members prefer doing online transactions instead of face-to-face consultations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its management said on Thursday.
In a statement, SSS chief executive officer Aurora Ignacio acknowledged the high volume of transactions recorded since the pandemic started — necessitating the need for a more user-friendly interface in their application.
Data from the state-run insurer showed that from January 2021 to August 2021, there were 35.27 million transactions made through the application, which is over 32 percent of all the 109.73 million online transactions it recorded since the app was launched in 2018.
“We recognize that mobile technology is one of the new norms to provide easier and safer access to services and transactions,” Ignacio said.
“We are continuously upgrading the SSS Mobile App to include additional services and to make sure that its functionalities are user-friendly to better serve our members and employers, anytime and anywhere,” she added.
Furthermore, SSS said that there were 9.37 million downloads of the SSS Mobile App through the Google Play Store, 8.85 million downloads through the Huawei AppGallery, and 1.25 million downloads on the Apple App Store.
“It is the third most downloaded free mobile application in the productivity category on Google Play Store, ranks second in the finance category on the Huawei AppGallery, and ranks fifth in the utilities category on Apple App Store,” SSS said in the same statement.
“Among the top three recorded member queries in the SSS Mobile App were salary loan balance, salary loan status, and maternity claim info. Moreover, the top transaction recorded under the member portal was PRN generation,” it added.
The agency reminded its members that the following services and queries can be accessed or done through the application, which would save people from long lines and exposure to COVID-19:
- Accessing membership information, including basic personal information, updating of contact information (Landline Number, Mobile Number, Email Address, Local/Foreign Mailing Address), and view of enrolled bank information.
- Inquiring about contributions, including total number of contributions posted, and total amount of contributions
- Inquiring about loans, salary loan status and balance, and application for salary loan
- Inquiring the status of benefit claims (sickness, maternity, retirement, disability claim info and EC medical status)
- Submission of Maternity Notification for self-employed, voluntary, non-working spouse, and Overseas Filipino Worker members
- Generation of Payment Reference Numbers (PRNs) for contributions and payment for online payment channels (PayMaya, BPI,and G-Cash)
- SSS Branch Locator
Employers can also use the SSS app for the following purposes:
- Accessing employer information, including updating of contact information (e-mail address, telephone and mobile number) and view of enrolled bank information
- Inquiring about contribution status, generation of PRN for contributions
- Checking the SSS and Employees’ Compensation (EC) contributions program of his/her employees;
- Inquiring on status of loans and loan payments; and,
- Submission of sickness and maternity reimbursement claim
As of now, the country’s COVID-19 numbers are on a downward trend, with reproduction rate going below 1, which is what the World Health Organization (WHO) experts seek. However, there are government officials and health experts who remind the people to continue avoiding outdoor exposure if possible, like frequent visits to SSS offices.