Pinoys in Portugal to receive social security benefits

MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos residing in Portugal will soon be able to receive their Portuguese Social Security benefits in the Philippines after an agreement was finalized in Lisbon on May 28, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The DFA said the Philippine embassy in Lisbon reported that the agreement is expected to be signed in Manila in September.

Ambassador to Portugal Teresita Barsana headed the Philippine delegation at the second round of negotiations for the proposed RP-Portugal Social Security Agreement. 

Social Security System (SSS) commissioner Jose Sonny Matula, SSS senior vice president Judy Frances See as chief negotiator, and lawyer Roberto Bautista provided the technical expertise at the negotiations.

The first round of negotiations was held in October 2009. 

The draft Agreement adopts the fundamental principles of international coordination of social security legislations, namely, equality of treatment, maintenance of the acquired rights, maintenance of the rights in the course of acquisition, export of benefits and mutual administrative cooperation between institutions, and covers, in general, the legislation of both countries on social protection against the contingencies of sickness and maternity, paternity and adoption, invalidity, old-age and death, accidents at work and occupational diseases.

The Social Security team took the opportunity to brief the Filipino community in Lisbon on the SSS Flexi-fund for overseas workers, as well as the future benefits of the agreement.

The gathering was held at the Philippine embassy, which recently reopened in Portugal after 35 years of absence.

The Philippines has signed social security agreements with other EU countries including Austria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain and UK. 

For Portugal, the agreement with the Philippines will be its first with an Asian country.