Agency faces raps for failing to remit to SSS

CEBU, Philippines – The manager of a Cebu City-based private security agency is now facing formal complaints before the Social Security System (SSS) for allegedly not remitting the SSS contributions that his agency deducted from their guards.

Security guards Joel Barda and Raymund Subing-Subing filed the complaint before the SSS-Cebu law department against retired army colonel Mario Arias, who manages the Sikatuna Security Agency.

In their complaints notarized by lawyer Dave R. Duallo, both Barda and Subing-Subing claimed that they were hired by the Sikatuna Security Agency and were posted in various establishments.

Barda and Subing-Subing were no longer allowed to work by the agency after both of them complained to The FREEMAN about the non-remittance of their SSS contributions.

Barda claimed that he worked with the agency since 2004 until 2008, then from 2009 until early this month. Subing-Subing said he was only hired by the agency from 2008 up to first week of October 2010.

According to them, their agency offered them only P8,000 for the daily 12-hour duty, with a monthly deduction of P266 supposedly for SSS.

Both of them discovered that their agency did not remit their contributions when they secured printouts of their payments with the SSS because they wanted to apply for salary loans.

The SSS-Cebu officials are scheduled to summon the officials of the security agency to ask them to remit to the SSS the complainants' contributions.

If the agency complies with the order, it needs to pay penalties.

The Social Security Act of 1997 requires employers to remit contributions to the SSS on or before the tenth day after the applicable month. Delinquent employers are charged a three-percent monthly penalty on late contributions.

Once the case will reach the court, the concerned employers may face fines and imprisonment of up to 12 years if found guilty of the charges. (FREEMAN)