Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA — Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has revived his proposal for Congress to grant an increase in the monthly pension of Social Security System (SSS) members.
After former President Aquino vetoed the bill passed by Congress hiking the SSS pension last January, Trillanes refiled his measure through Senate bill No. 91, to be tackled in the new 17th Congress which will open sessions on July 25.
Under SBN 91, all SSS pensioners shall receive an across-the-board increase of P2,000 regardless of the date of effectivity of their retirement.
“We had the opportunity to provide relief to our pensioners last Congress by passing a legislation that would increase their monthly pension. The measure, however, was not signed into law. With this re-filed measure, we hope to finally provide support to our pensioners through this long overdue increase in their pension,” Trillanes said in a statement.
Six months ago, then President Aquino vetoed the measure as Palace spokespersons had said he was worried that the “stability of the entire SSS benefit system” would be “seriously compromised” if the pensions of two million pensioners and their dependents were increased.
In his bill, Trillanes pointed out the need to raise the pension of SSS members since it had been 19 years since the last SSS pension increase was implemented through Republic Act 8282.
He bewailed the fact that the cost of living expenses had considerably increased over time.
“However, the meager amount of monthly pension of our SSS pensioners, who are old and mostly suffering from various medical conditions, has become inadequate to support their monthly food sustenance and maintenance medicines,” the senator said.
“Moreover, pensioners who retired after the effectivity of RA 8282 are even more struggling because they are receiving smaller amounts of monthly pension,” Trillanes added. SFM/rga