• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Fourteen employers, with total delinquencies of more than P6 million, were subjected to the Run After Contribution Evaders (RACE) operations of the Social Security System Bacolod and Bacolod East branches Feb. 26.
Dr. Lilani Benedian, vice president for SSS Visayas West 1 Division, said that seven delinquent employers under the Bacolod East branch have P5.7 million in obligations, affecting 150 employees.
Total delinquency of the other seven employers under the Bacolod branch reached about P616,000, with 22 affected employees, although this number could still go up since two of the businesses are already in operation but are yet to register with the SSS.
There are 6,124 employers under the Bacolod branch, and more than 2,000 for the Bacolod East, and about 30 percent can be considered as “delinquent”, but mostly because of one or two gaps in the payment or remittance of contribution.
An employer of good standing should be regularly paying, there should be no gaps in the remittance so that employees can continue to avail of benefits, like sickness, maternity, retirement, disability, death, funeral, or unemployment assistance, under Republic Act No. 11199, or the Social Security Act of 2018, SSS officials said.
“SSS is very serious in its mandate to bring all benefits to employees,” Benedian said.
She said that through the RACE campaign, SSS targets to create awareness and instill to employers the importance of complying with the requirements of RA 11199, especially on registering all employees and promptly remitting contributions.
The RACE this Monday was the first for the two local SSS branches this year, and delinquent employers are given 15 days from receipt of the show-cause order or notice of violation to reconcile records and settle their obligations.
If they cannot pay in full, Benedian urged employers to avail of either the condonation program or installment payment scheme offered by SSS.
Due process will be given these delinquent employers, Atty. Chit Antipatia of the SSS Operations Legal Department said.
“But when push comes to shove, we will file criminal cases before the Prosecutor’s Office, and the bond required when the warrant of arrest is issued is P72,000, regardless of the amount of violation,” Antipatia said.
Benedian, meanwhile, said that in 2022 and 2023, SSS Bacolod collected P8 million from the total P20 million delinquencies, and P9 million for Bacolod East out of P15 million in obligations, under the RACE campaign. | CGC
