Has SSS improved itself to justify contribution hike?

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board rightly asserts the ascendancy of national government edicts over local ones. So the Manila city hall cannot overrule with a total bus ban the routes that the LTFRB has granted to the operators. Not even if Manila’s noble intention is to untangle the traffic gridlock.

Still, the LTFRB has a lot of explaining to do to Manila and suburbs. Like, why are there 12,000 buses on EDSA when the route can take in only 2,000? Why does it allow the “kabit system” of operators with only one or two buses illegally hooking up with bigger franchisees for a fee?

Phooey to the alibi that the LTFRB needed to add buses over the decades to service Metro Manila’s fast growing migrant population. The outsiders would not have moved to the big city had there been no rides to anywhere within.

Besides, that excuse of serving the metropolis’ needs are negated by the LTFRB’s other sins. It has put too many jitneys in some routes, and none where needed. It takes months to process applications for door-to-door (UV Express) taxi franchises or renew old ones for replaced taxis. There’s obvious extortion and ineptitude.

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The justice department proclaims to soon go after “rich” waterway squatters in central and northern Metro Manila. Starting with business establishments that have sprouted along the San Juan and Tullahan Rivers, violating the three-meter easement laws.

Can it please include the apartment row behind Fatima Street, Congress Park, inside Doña Carmen Subdivision, Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City. Nearby residents have been decrying since 2009 that the structure was built right on the creek that dried up that summer. Its three units are for rent, obviously a business that is squatting untitled over a waterway. Barangay officials are abetting the rich perpetrator.

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It was tasteless for female lawmakers to attend last Monday’s State of the Nation dressed in super-expensive gowns like they were going to the Oscars. As tasteless were the TV reporters who stalked them by the red carpet, asking which designer they had commissioned.

It was like the Meralco of old banqueting around a garden fountain of champagne, and Imelda Marcos showing off gigantic diamond necklaces and earrings, as famine decimated sugarcane workers in Negros in the ‘70s.

Those garbs cost P20,000 to P50,000 apiece — about the same income that the penurious one-third of Filipino families earn in a year. Not all the six senadoras and 68 congresswomen wore profligate apparel. But even if only half of them had pitched in P35,000 each, they would have raised P1,295,000, enough to finance in one blow 18 modest homes for the needy.

And we’ve not even begun to talk about the wives of congressmen and Cabinet members who were as glitzily dressed.

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The 0.6-percent additional contribution that the SSS wants from members is just for starters, to cover some retirees’ benefits. Next step is to raise the contribution rate to 14 percent of the workman’s salary, from the present 10.6 (7.2 from employers, 3.6 from employees), to prolong  the SSS’ life till 2047. Since 2002 it has been eyeing a total 20-percent donation rate, for fund “perpetuity” of 70 years, the international norm.

One reason given back then for the hefty proposal was that only a third of the SSS’ 24 million members was paying monthly dues. Meaning, if the two-thirds paid up, there may be no need to hike contributions. (The presidential appointee-administrators never conceded that they also stole from and mismanaged the SSS fund.)

Has the SSS improved its collections since then? If not, then any increase — whether by 0.6 or 14 or 20 percent -- would be punishing the one-third obedient for the sins of the two-thirds delinquent.

It’s no different from the BIR fining issuers of official receipts for late reprinting, but letting pork barrel-stealing lawmakers off the hook. No different from Customs at the post office embargoing books or meds ordered by mail until payment of duties double the amount of the goods, but letting smugglers sneak in steel, sports cars, rice, vegetables, and diseased pork from Shanghai by the hundreds of container vans.

No different from the National Police further restricting the one million gun owners, but doing nothing about the 550,000 loose firearms holders. No different from Metro Manila authorities banning private cars from main roads on certain days, but letting colorum (unlicensed) buses owned by police generals jam traffic.

No different from the environment office abetting pollutive, unregulated, untaxed “small-scale” nickel and magnetite miners. No different from the energy department looking the other way when big oil companies blatantly form pricing cartels.

The SSS is members’ money merely administered for them by presidential appointees. The administrators should not make it hard for the one-third obedient members to pay up, lest they too become delinquent like the two-thirds.

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Twenty-one policemen and 30 demonstrators were hurt in clashes near the Batasan during Monday’s SONA. It wasn’t only because, as human rights commissioner and ex-activist Etta Rosales noted, the protesters attacked first. More to blame were their superiors for fielding the cops for anti-riot duty without the proper gear, training, and care.

Like “crying cop” Police Officer-1 Joselito Sevilla, most wore only regular felt caps, short-sleeved uniforms, and black shoes. One protester reportedly stubbed out a cigarette on Sevilla’s bare arm, others spat on his shirt, as he stood his ground as ordered.

It was Sevilla and his platoon’s first time to be assigned to riot work, in which they had no prior exercise. His retreating pals in fact left him behind to be swarmed by rock-throwing marchers. While some of the policemen were handed fiberglass shields and batons, they had no helmets with face covers, protective overcoats, or combat boots. Mobilized 48 hours earlier with little food, sleep, and cover from the rains, it was like they were set up for the kill.

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