Baguio city: Non-permanent employees of some government offices in northern Luzon are now registered with the Social Security System (SSS), ensuring their social protection coverage.
According to Philippines News Agency, this development follows the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in the Cordillera region and SSS-North Luzon 1. The agreement facilitates the automatic deduction from the payroll and remittance of contributions for 60 job order (JO) or contract of service (COS) employees to the SSS.
Christian Andrew Rillorta, SSS-North Luzon Corporate affairs head, highlighted the benefits of the program, stating that JOs and COS workers would gain access to various SSS benefits. These benefits include sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, death, and funeral benefits, along with loan privileges.
The MOA signing for the KaSSSanga Collect Program (KCP) between SSS and government offices, initiated in 2023, has extended social protection to 4,479 employees from 71 providers. These providers include regional line agencies, provincial and municipal local government units, government instrumentalities, and state universities, ensuring coverage while still working after retirement or in case of sickness.
JO and COS workers are not covered by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), making SSS membership vital for their social security protection. To qualify for the SSS pension, a member needs to have completed at least 120 months of contribution.
The agency is also encouraging permanent government employees with previous private sector experience to continue their SSS contributions. The monthly contribution for self-employed members varies from PHP760 to PHP5,280, depending on the declared monthly income, inclusive of Employees' Compensation (EC) contributions, which range from PHP10 to PHP30.
The EC Program offers additional benefits for employed and self-employed members in cases of work-related sickness, injury, or death. Rillorta also noted that the SSS would benefit from increased membership coverage and collection among self-employed professionals.
