• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Fourteen employers, six of them tagged as largescale, and with total unpaid obligations of P16.9 million, are the focus of the two-day Run After Contribution Evaders (RACE) operations of the Social Security System Bacolod and Bacolod East branches until May 3.
Dr. Lilani Benedian, vice president for SSS Visayas West 1 Division, said that seven of these noncompliant employers, under the Bacolod Branch, were subjected to RACE May 2 after they were found to have P7.9 million in total delinquency, affecting 485 employees.
The remaining seven, under the SSS Bacolod East Branch, have total delinquency of P9 million, with about 760 workers, who cannot avail of the various benefits due them under Republic Act 11199, or the Social Security Act of 2018. These erring employers will be visited by the RACE team today, May 3.
Benedian said the 14 businesses are mixed industries, including sugarcane planters, a hotel, a construction company, wholesalers, and corporations.
SSS Bacolod Branch covers around 50 barangays in the city, as well as Talisay and Silay, while the Bacolod East has jurisdiction over nine city barangays, Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto.
Benedian said this is the sixth RACE in the first four months of 2024 under the SSS Visayas West 1 Division, and the system’s initiative to commemorate Labor Day and honor the workers.
The Division also visited employers in Bais and Dumaguete in Negros Oriental April 30 as part of the nationwide simultaneous RACE operations for Labor Day, where 1,200 employers were told to settle their contribution delinquencies, amounting to over P335 million and affecting the social security coverage of nearly 19,000 employees.
“We want to instill into the minds of employees that SSS is really serious in its mandate of giving them social protection,” Benedian stressed.
Through RACE, concerned employers would also be apprised of SSS programs to help them settle their delinquency, either through the ongoing condonation program or installment payment scheme.
She stressed that once a business opens, it is the obligation of that employer to register the business with SSS, report and register all employees, and regularly remit or pay to the system the contribution collected from employees.
Benedian said an employee cannot avail of the SSS benefits if his or her contribution has not been remitted by the employer to SSS. These include maternity, sickness, retirement, disability, death, funeral, or unemployment assistance.
She told employees to not be afraid and immediately report noncompliant employers, adding that workers should regularly check if their contribution records are updated. “Our account officers are very professional. We will assist these employers; they are our partners.”
Under RA 11199, employers subjected to RACE are given 15 days from receipt of the show-cause order or notice of violation to reconcile records with the SSS, and settle their obligations.
If they cannot pay in full, these employers are urged to avail of either the condonation program or installment payment scheme offered by SSS. If they still fail to pay their obligations, then SSS will take legal action against them. | CGC
