Social Security System (SSS) president and chief executive officer Robert Joseph Montes de Claro will leave the SSS with its strongest financial position, to date, marked by record-high asset levels, a growing investment reserve, and improved earnings performance.
Under de Claro’s leadership, SSS has remained financially resilient and well-positioned to sustain the delivery of benefits to its members, pensioners, and their families.
As of June 2026, total assets reached P1.35 trillion, an increase of 7.6 percent or P94.9 billion from P1.25 trillion, as of December 2025.
The growth reflects the continued strengthening of the pension fund’s financial base and its capacity to meet long-term benefit obligations, the SSS said in a press release Oct. 13.
De Claro also steered SSS past the P1-trillion milestone in its investment reserve fund (IRF). For the first six months of 2026, the IRF stood at P1.31 trillion, up 6.6 percent from P1.23 trillion at the end of 2025. The increase underscores the continued accumulation of reserves needed to support future pension and benefit payments.
Benefit disbursements likewise expanded during the period. From January to June 2026, SSS released P173.45 billion in benefits, 19 percent higher than the P145.73 billion paid out in the same period last year. The increase indicates greater claims activity, driven in part by more retirees and beneficiaries accessing pensions and other social security benefits.
Contribution collections also continued to improve. Members’ contributions reached P200.32 billion in the first half of 2026, up 6.9 percent from P187.44 billion in the comparable period of 2025. The growth reflects stronger compliance, expanded coverage, and a growing base of contributing members and employers.
SSS expects to post more than P100 billion in net income by the end of 2026, putting it on track to deliver another year of strong financial performance. The agency also projects its total assets to reach P1.5 trillion by December 2026.
Throughout his tenure, de Claro oversaw the management of SSS investments through prudent risk management, disciplined asset allocation, and regular portfolio reviews.
He ensured that investment decisions remained consistent with Republic Act 11199, or the Social Security Act of 2018, and with SSS’s internal governance policies. The law directs that the IRF be managed and invested with skill, care, prudence, and diligence to support the fund’s long-term viability.
With its strongest financial standing yet, SSS is better equipped to continue providing timely and reliable benefits to members, pensioners, and their families while safeguarding the pension fund’s ability to meet its long-term obligations.
De Claro took his oath as the new secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Oct. 13, replacing Henry Aguda, who resigned from his post. ||
