The facade of the Social Security System (SSS) in Quezon City. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Social Security System (SSS) has filed separate criminal charges against four business establishments for not remitting over P15-million worth of employees’ contributions and penalties.
In a statement on Wednesday, the SSS said that a restaurant, fire extinguisher’s retail-refilling supplier, business process outsourcing service provider, and car spare parts importer failed to remit the contributions of their total 140 employees.
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The SSS noted that the restaurant had the “highest contribution delinquency,” with P4.8 million in unpaid workers’ contributions and P6.4 million in penalties.
Data from the agency also showed that the restaurant business still needed to pay the contributions of its 35 employees from June 2007 to August 2023.
The four establishments were also given “multiple opportunities” to settle their contribution delinquencies, but SSS said they failed to do so.
“SSS previously visited the four employers during RACE [Run After Contribution Evaders] operations to remind them to pay the contributions of their workers. However, they failed to settle their contribution delinquencies despite receiving violation notices from SSS,” SSS President and CEO Rolando Macasaet said, as quoted in the statement.
Meanwhile, the agency is also set to charge another 655 delinquent employers for not remitting P257 million in workers’ contributions.
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The filing of charges was a result of the SSS’ RACE campaign, SSS said.
According to Renato Jacinto Cuisia, SSS vice president for operations, Legal Services Division, and RACE Team coordinator, they have issued violation notices and show cause orders to disobedient employers to push them to comply with their obligations under Republic Act No. 11199.
“It is not just a legal obligation, but a moral responsibility of employers to deduct from the employee’s salary the employee’s share in the monthly SSS contribution and, together with the employer’s share, remit it to the SSS,” Cuisia stressed.
SSS earlier issued violation notices to over 1,200 delinquent employers nationwide in a synchronous RACE operation to remind them of the legal consequences of not remitting their employees’ contributions.