Migrant workers group condemns SSS rate hike and membership penalties for PhilHealth data breach

By ALYSSA MAE CLARIN
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — Despite public outrage and amid calls of suspension, SSS said that they would push through with the one-percent contribution hike.

The state-run social insurance program stressed that the higher rate is part of Republic Act No. 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018, which states that a one-percent contribution increase would be imposed on SSS members every two years.

The contribution rate hike, which started as 12 percent of the salary in 2019, will now amount to 15 percent of the salary in 2025.

In a press briefing, SSS President and CEO Robert Joseph de Claro said that the increase is necessary and will help boost the members’ monthly salary credit and prolong the life of the security fund until 2053.

On the other hand, migrant workers’ rights group Migrante International denounced the scheduled rate hike and stressed that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) would be burdened heavily since they will be forced to pay for nearly nonexistent social services to keep working abroad.

In a press release, Migrante said that the new increase in contributions will most likely not go to any meaningful rise in pension but become a fund for the life of SSS and the salaries of its board members. “OFWs and the Filipino people deserve social security services that will prioritize the well-being of the public, and not the benefit of its board members.”

The group also criticized PhilHealth’s decision to pass on the cost of the damages resulting from the 2023 hacking and data breach of its system. Migrante said that it is inhumane for PhilHealth to pass on the cost amounting to P4.6 billion (USD 78.3 million) to its members. “(These are) an added burden to our migrant workers who are already suffering from the impacts of job insecurity, low wages, and mounting debt.”

Josie Pingkihan, deputy secretary-general of Migrante International, said that the continuously rising prices for food, electricity and other basic services around the world have already affected the salaries of migrant workers. “This administration is so insensitive, it is drowning us in various fees and yet we are not receiving proper service.”

“It is unjust that OFWs and PhilHealth members are being punished for PhilHealth’s negligence. President Marcos Jr. has already cut the budget for public health services, and now they are going to steal from us too,” she said.

The group called on the Marcos Jr. administration to scrap not just the new SSS rate hike but also the mandatory SSS and PhilHealth contributions for OFWs. They also stressed that the government should hold the PhilHealth board accountable for its negligence over the 2023 data breach and ensure that the members will be well-compensated for the data leaks instead of punished with additional penalties. (RTS, DAA)