By CHINO S. LEYCO
State-run Social Security System (SSS) has tapped digital financial services leader PayMaya to allow members to conveniently pay their contributions through the pension fund’s mobile app.
SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora C. Ignacio and PayMaya Philippines, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Orlando B. Vea formally signed yesterday the agreement, making the digital financial services firm as one of the 85 accredited collecting and paying partners of SSS.
With the partnership, individual members of the pension fund such as Self-employed, Voluntary, and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) can now pay their contributions using their PayMaya account or any Visa, Mastercard, or JCB credit, debit, or prepaid card.
In the next phase, PayMaya will accept employer's contributions (regular and household) and salary loan payments.
Ignacio said that PayMaya’s payment platform is a fast, convenient and secure way of remitting the hard-earned money of SSS members for their future contingencies and retirement options.
“The public has been very much aware that we have been exerting all efforts to make SSS transactions hassle-free through our gradual shift to the digital platforms,” Ignacio said.
“This is one of our options to eliminate long queues in automated teller services in branches and other accredited partner agencies. In just one tap on your mobile phones, your contribution payments are remitted to the SSS,” she added.
For his part, Vea said: "Using digital technology in delivering social services to all Filipinos is a big leap for SSS and we are proud that they have tapped us in this initiative.”
“Making public service more accessible to all Filipinos through digital financial services is in line with our thrust at PayMaya to push for digital and financial inclusion,” Vea said.
PayMaya is providing its universal payments platform to SSS to allow it to accept PayMaya as well as all card and mobile wallet payments through its mobile app and soon in its other online channels and branches.
For those without a card, they can simply sign up for a PayMaya account by downloading the PayMaya app on their iOS or Android devices and use the mobile number associated with their account when they pay via the SSS mobile app.
The Social Security Commission (SSC), the policy-making body of the SSS, approved the accreditation of PayMaya, the digital financial services arm of Voyager Innovations, after it had submitted and passed the standards and requirements of the RTPC system.