Poe to SSS: Use funds to provide alternative benefits for members

Senator Grace Poe.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA

Senator Grace Poe dared the Social Security System (SSS) on Thursday to come up with “concrete alternatives” in place of the bill, granting a P2,000-across-the-board pension hike, which was vetoed by President Benigno Aquino III.

“Nakalulungkot ang pangyayaring ito dahil alam natin na ang direktang tatamaan nito ay ang mga pensioner at manggagawa,” Poe said, reacting to Aquino’s decision to veto the bill.

(It’s dismaying because this veto would directly affect the pensioners and workers.)

READ: Aquino vetoes increase in SSS pension

She said there was no doubt that there was a need to raise the pension of SSS members while making sure that the agency can sustain its viability.

But the senator nevertheless wanted to know how much additional pension would be acceptable to the SSS management.

“Nais ko pong malaman kung ano ba ang katanggap-tanggap na karagdagang pensyon kung hindi naaangkop ang dagdag na P2,000 sa pensyon ng mga myembro ng SSS,” said Poe.

(I want to know what they consider is an acceptable additional pension of the proposed P2000-hike is too much for the pension of SSS members.)

“Hamon ko sa board ng SSS, sana magbigay sila ng konkretong alternatibo dahil sa tingin ko mayroong sapat na pondo upang magbigay ng dagdag na benepisyo,” she added.

(I dare SSS to provide concrete alternatives because I think it has sufficient funds to increase the members’ benefits.)

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., one of the authors of the bill, also expressed hope that the government would come up with other plans to uplift the living conditions of SSS pensioners.

“This is a sad day for all SSS pensioners and I am sure they are disappointed with the President’s veto of the measure granting a P2,000-across-the-board increase to their monthly pension,” Marcos said in a separate statement.

READ: Villar: Aquino veto ‘most unfortunate’ for 1.9M SSS pensioners

“It seems that the President has chosen to look the other side, instead of being sensitive and looking at the realistic conditions of the pensioners who dedicated their active and healthy years to labor,” he said.

Marcos reminded the President that governance is about caring for the people especially those who are incapable or less capable of taking care of themselves.

“I hope the President is not missing this point,” he said.

“The pensioners, now most of them sickly and in advanced ages depend on their monthly SSS pension for their medicine requirements and daily basic needs, a little increase in their pension is definitely a relief,” the senator further said. IDL