Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian —Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines — Lawmakers pushed for a review of the impending increase in Social Security System (SSS) contributions even as Malacañang earlier said it would not intervene in the matter for now.
Members of the House and Senate urged the SSS to put off starting this month the implementation of the 15-percent contribution rate, up by 1 percent as mandated by Republic Act No. 11199, or the Social Security Act of 2018.
For Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, the matter betrayed a management problem at the SSS.
READ: Labor groups join call to halt SSS premium hike
“For me, this is a management problem because, in any organization, it is important to collect your debt … If you can’t get paid, you can’t pass it on to increase contributions,” he said.
Gatchalian said he would ask the Senate committee on banks, financial institutions, and currencies to look into the matter, focusing particularly on the agency’s management side.
“Let’s see if their management is efficiently performing,” he said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum.
“Let’s see if their investments are good and if what they are giving back to their members [is] also good. The investments should pay for the benefits, so there’s no need for an increase,” he added.
House administration lawmakers also urged the SSS to defer the increase to protect workers from reduced take-home pay due to inflation.
In House Resolution No. 2157, Baguio Rep. Mark Go asked the Social Security Commission to suspend the implementation of the scheduled rate increase.
According to Go, SSS revenues grew by 15.6 percent from P306.16 billion in 2022 to P353.82 billion in 2023, saying it can afford to suspend the hike in contributions.
Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles also called on President Marcos to suspend the increase and direct the SSS to make its collection system more efficient and effective.