The Social Security System (SSS) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have signed an agreement to enhance social protection for beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando Ledesma Macasaet and DSWD Secretary Rex T. Gatchalian recently formalized a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that will enable 4.4 million 4Ps beneficiaries to become SSS members.
Macasaet said that this agreement aims to safeguard the welfare of the most vulnerable sectors of society, particularly families benefiting from the Philippine conditional cash transfer program.
“SSS aims to provide these vulnerable sectors with the mechanism to become active SSS members and thereby secure their future through the range of SSS benefits,” Macasaet said in a statement on Thursday, Aug. 22.
Under the agreement, Macasaet said that SSS will create an AlkanSSSya Program tailored for 4Ps beneficiaries under the agreement.
The initiative, launched in 2011, serves as a micro-savings plan for self-employed individuals with fluctuating income, including tricycle drivers, market vendors, farmers, fishermen, and other workers in the informal sector.
“We may also craft a special SSS contribution table for 4Ps beneficiaries tailored to fit their paying capacity considering the current minimum monthly contribution of P570,” Macasaet said.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian clarified that the 4Ps beneficiaries’ contribution to the SSS will be voluntary as the cash grants cannot be used to pay their SSS contributions since it is intended for health, education, and the rice subsidy.
Gatchalian added that DSWD will integrate the value of SSS membership during the 4Ps Family Development Sessions (FDS), an activity attended by 4Ps parents every month.
In these sessions, 4Ps beneficiaries share their knowledge and experience and promote learning on good parenting practices, financial literacy, and disaster risk preparedness, among others.