SSS encourages businesses to avail post-pandemic condonation programs

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The Social Security System (SSS) on Friday encouraged employers with pending unpaid contributions to avail of their condonation programs to ease their penalty burdens and avoid the risk of further legal action.

A Run After Contribution Evaders (RACE) team from SSS’ Iloilo Central office visited 6 Guimaras-based businesses on Friday, April 28, to personally inform them of their pending accountabilities, as part of a simultaneous nationwide effort.

RACE teams were also deployed to the cities of Iloilo and Roxas on the same day.

These businesses were pooled from a list of 10 ‘delinquent’ employers, who were served billing and demand letters prior to the visit, and who have not complied with such.

Show Cause Orders were given to these businesses, where they were informed that they have 15 days to coordinate with their respective servicing SSS Branch Office and settle their contribution delinquencies.

The orders also encouraged the businesses to apply for Contribution Penalty Condonation, Delinquency Management and Restructuring Program (CPCoDe MRP).

This is distinct from the Contribution Penalty Condonation and Restructuring Program (CPCR-P), which is available to household employers.

Atty. Bernardo Dofitas told Daily Guardian that the employers served with Show Cause Orders were based on their established delinquencies, registrations, existence, and continuation of their businesses.

These also included businesses that had temporarily closed during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Our target really was to cover employers that had recently returned to business, and the employees who have come back to the employment sector,” he said.

Dofitas shared that they were warmly received by the business owners upon learning of their delinquencies and the ways that they can catch up on paying them.

Some of these business owners were the ones who took over from a prior owner, and some were family members who succeeded their parents or other relatives in the business.

He narrated that one of the business owners even expressed shock, citing to them that they had entrusted someone to process their establishment’s payments with the SSS.

In a statement, SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando Macasaet said that their payments would greatly help their employees avail of benefits.

“We appeal to all employers to be considerate to their employees by reporting them to SSS and regularly remitting their monthly contributions so they can be protected by receiving social security benefits in times of various contingencies,” Macasaet said.

Employers, including households in the case of domestic workers (‘kasambahay’), are required to remit their workers’ contributions to the SSS within 30 days of employment, regardless of their employment status.

Republic Act No. 11199 (Social Security Act of 2018) provides penalties for employers of a fine of P5,000 to P20,000 and imprisonment ranging from 6 years and 1 day to 12 years for failing to remit contributions or failing to register their employees into the system.