New SSS text users up 23%

MANILA, Philippines - The Social Security System (SSS) said members relying on its mobile phone-based facility to inquire about their monthly contributions, status of salary loan applications and loan balances continued to increase in the first half of the year.

SSS said the number of new text-SSS users grew 23 percent from January to June to 434,022  as members take advantage of the ease and convenience of this mobile phone-based service.

“Our members are now mobile and the increase in the number of users of Text-SSS facility since we launched it in February 2010 is a validation of this. Almost half a million of our members now rely on their mobile phones whenever they need to check their SSS records or get updates on their claims” said Mario Sibucao, vice president at SSS Member Services Division.

A total of 157,760 SMS transactions through text-SSS were recorded in the six months ending June, up 47 percent from the previous year.

Inquiries regarding the status of contributions and loan payments were most common, which made up 29 and 14 percent of the  total, respectively.

As of end June, the SSS recorded more than two million text queries.

Sibucao, however, noted that the number of SSS members using text-SSS is relatively low. “On an average, we only get around 30,000 text queries from them monthly,” he said.

Text-SSS was launched in February 2010.  The state pension fund expanded the service in 2012, allowing members to get updates on their sickness, disability, maternity, retirement and funeral claims.

The service requires a one-time registration and each inquiry costs a minimal fee of P2 or P2.50, depending on the network a member is subscribed to.

 “We encourage our members to take advantage of this facility as it will save them both the time and money involved in going to our offices for basic inquiries. By using Text SSS and other self-service facilities such as the SSS Website, members can keep track of their records wherever they are and be on guard against their employers that do not comply with the SSS law,” Sibucao said.