SSS rolls out Palengke Caravan for grassroots communities

The Social Security System (SSS) has deployed its mobile e-Wheels to public markets and barangays across selected towns and cities nationwide as part of its weeklong Palengke Caravan, aimed at reducing travel time, long queues, and transaction difficulties experienced by workers, pensioners, and beneficiaries.

The caravan supports the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to bring public services faster and closer to the people, particularly in underserved and hard-to-reach communities.

“For many pensioners, informal workers, and members in underserved communities, even a single branch visit can mean transportation expenses, lost income, and hours spent in line,” SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Joseph M. De Claro said.

“Through the SSS e-Wheels / Palengke Caravan, we are bringing government services directly to communities so people can access assistance and complete transactions closer to where they live and work,” he added.

He explained that the SSS is holding the caravan in public markets to bring its services directly to market vendors and ambulant sellers who are unable to visit branch offices because they cannot leave their small businesses unattended.

The SSS e-Wheels will be deployed in Metro Manila starting May 25, targeting around 21,500 clients. It will be followed by caravan activities in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro; Legazpi, Albay; Silay City, Negros Occidental; and Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte, on May 27. The nationwide caravan will conclude May 28 in Virac, Catanduanes.

The mobile caravan will offer services including employer registration, inquiries and verification, Annual Confirmation of Pensioners, or ACOP, updating of member data records, issuance of SSS numbers and forms, and online-related transactions such as My.SSS registration, password resetting, Payment Reference Number generation, pension loan applications, and benefit claim applications.

SSS will also deploy for the first time its newly launched facial authentication with liveness check for ACOP verification during mobile service operations, allowing eligible pensioners to complete verification faster and more conveniently without visiting branches.

From January to April 2026, the SSS conducted a total of 3,294 e-Wheels activities nationwide, serving 239,367 members and residents in last-mile communities. In 2024, the SSS e-Wheels Program received the ASEAN Social Security Association Recognition Award in the innovation category.

“By bringing services closer to the people, we are making SSS more accessible, more responsive, and convenient for workers, pensioners, and their families,” De Claro said.