With or without the presence of Social Security System officials on Nov. 15, the House of Representatives’ committee on government enterprises and privatization will pass its report on all 16 bills seeking a P2,000-across-the-board increase in the monthly benefit of its two-million pensioners.
North Cotabato Rep. Jesus Sacdalan, committee chairman, assured the public that the report will be passed so that the measure can already be tackled in the plenary.
The committee approved the 16 bills last Sept. 7, after which the panel referred them to the committee on appropriations chaired by Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles for the fund provision of the proposals.
But the absence of invited SSS officials during the hearing last Oct. 18 delayed the panel approval of the committee report.
“The proposals then were given back to us after the appropriations committee acted on them. We are done with the committee report and it is only a matter of approving it on Nov. 15,” Sacdalan said.
Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting, author of House Bill No. 2277, said there was no justifiable reason to further delay the approval of the committee report, especially since the proposed pension hike was already approved by both the Senate and the House during the 16th Congress, only to be vetoed by then President Benigno Aquino III.
“The bill has priority status this 17th Congress. This was thoroughly studied by both the Senate and the House during the 16th Congress. So whether or not the SSS officials will show up on Nov. 15, we need to discuss and vote on the committee report of the pension hike bills so it can already proceed thereafter to the plenary,” Tambunting said.
Tambunting said the authors want to prove to SSS officials that the pension hike can be funded.
“First of all, the collection rate of the SSS has not improved, it has remained at 40 percent. The lack of SSS funds is due to the unimproved collection rate of the agency,” he said.
Tambunting said the SSS has many idle assets which, when disposed, can boost the coffers of the state pension fund. With PNA