Gabriela holds protest vs SSS contribution hike

Members of the Gabriela Women’s Party staged a protest action at the Social Security System office in Quezon City on Wednesday morning to oppose the hike in SSS contributions implemented this month.

“These contribution hikes are essentially additional taxes being imposed on our workers who are already struggling to make ends meet. Bakit kailangang pagbayarin ang mga manggagawa sa mga pagkukulang ng gobyerno sa serbisyong panlipunan?” House Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women’s Party-list Representative Arlene Brosas said.

“Stop these anti-poor policies. Hindi na nga sapat ang minimum wage, babawasan pa dahil sa mga kontribusyong ito. The Marcos Jr. administration must prioritize substantial wage increases instead of burdening workers with more deductions,” Brosas added.

The scheduled increase in the contributions of members and employers of up to 15% under the SSS took effect this January 2025.

The increase in contribution rate was provided under the Republic Act No. 11199, or Social Security Act of 2018. Under the law, a 1% contribution increase would be imposed on SSS members every two years starting from 12% in 2019 until it reaches 15% in 2025.

Starting this month, the employer's share will be 10%, while the employee's contribution is pegged at 5%.

Brosas on Friday cried foul over the SSS contribution rate increase, which she described as a "cruel New Year's gift."

Former SSS president and CEO Rolando Ledesma Macasaet also called on Malacañang to postpone the 15% increase in SSS contribution rates. Macasaet argued that suspending or gradually implementing the Social Security Act of 2018 would ease the financial burden on SSS members without significantly affecting the fund’s longevity.

The SSS on Tuesday however defended the scheduled contribution rate hike for this year, as it said this would be the last tranche of increases which doubled the fund life to 28 years moving forward.

A Commission on Audit report however revealed that the SSS has yet to collect P89.1 billion in workers' contributions from delinquent employers. —KG, GMA Integrated News