Labor and party-list organizations called on the government to suspend the implementation of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. contribution hike  and the Social Security System premium increase that will start January.

In separate press statements, the Gabriela Women’s partylist and the Federation of Free Workers said workers are still reeling from the effects of the recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, thus, are not in a position to absorb the double whammy of expenditures for the coming year.

House Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Arlene Brosas addressed her appeal to President Duterte, saying that he is in a position to suspend the implementation of the twin hikes in medical care and social security contributions of workers.

"The President can order the suspension of the hikes in the same way that overseas workers were spared from the collection of PhilHealth premium even without amendments to the Universal Healthcare (UHC) Law," she added. 

“We cannot just insist on the implementation of the law when corruption still mars the agency and when the majority of our workers are still struggling to make ends meet amid the pandemic and crisis," said Brosas.

She asked: “As for SSS, why does it seem that the pension fund is making workers pay for the wage subsidies previously granted?” 

The FFW and labor unions belonging to the Nagkaisa Labor Coalition called on the government to “be sensitive” to the plight of Filipinos as they reiterated calls for the suspension of the contribution hikes.

“Peoples and government are correlated and complementary, an aimless government would be an anomaly among a righteous people, just as corrupt people cannot exist under just rulers and wise laws. Whatever social and political environments we are in are products of men’s deliberate choice,” the groups said, quoting  national hero Dr. Jose Rizal said in one of his writings.

The biggest labor coalition in the country  reiterated its call for the government  to suspend the imposition of the one percent SSS premium increase and .5 percent PhilHealth contribution hike as the workers and employers are still under the debilitating effect and threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our government officials must be sensitive to the plight of the workers and employers in these extraordinary times. Millions of workers have no jobs or have jobs but on skeletal work; many companies are not operating or permanently shut down,” the labor groups said.