SSS collects P2.8-B from OFWs in 11 mos

MANILA, Philippines - The Social Security System (SSS) has collected P2.8 billion from overseas Filipino workers in the first 11 months of last year.

In a statement, the state pension fund said this is in line with its goal of collecting P3.1 billion from OFWs for the whole of 2013.

The SSS said that the number of OFW members reached 923,000 in 2013 on the back of the agency’s aggressive campaign.

“Over 100,000 OFWs joined as new SSS members in 2013 alone. To better serve our expanding OFW membership, we deployed more roving officers to assist SSS foreign representatives in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, and we reached out to Filipino communities in 14 major locations overseas,” Judy Frances See, senior vice president for account management and concurrent head of international operations at SSS, said.

At the same time, the state pension fund conducted talks on proposed bilateral social security agreements with China and the US, and also pursued negotiations on the same agreements with Germany, Japan and South Korea.

“OFWs often fall outside of social protection schemes in their place of employment, a situation that may leave them and their families vulnerable during times of sickness, maternity, disability, retirement and death---contingencies that are all covered by our Social Security program,” See said.

As a result, the SSS also introduced the Flexi-fund Program that allows OFWs to maximize investment returns, she said.