Tumaas ng 20.2% o 8.43 million mula nitong Mayo ang bilang ng self-employed o voluntary members (SEVM) ng Social Security System (SSS).
Ayon kay SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora Ignacio, patunay lamang ito ay kinikilala ng maraming indibiduwal ang kahalagahan ng SSS coverage, partikular sa mga benepisyo at pribilehiyong alok ng pension fund lalo na sa panahon ng krisis.
“While mobility is affected as a result of community quarantines and lockdowns, the pandemic did not stop SSS in its campaign for universal coverage, especially for those in the informal sector. We made sure that our online facilities—particularly our social media accounts, online seminar sessions, and e-learning portal—remained active and widely accessible to continuously inform the public and our members that social security protection is an affordable investment and savings option during this pandemic and in the future,” sabi ni Ignacio.
Mula sa 40.52 million SSS members, nasa 8.3% o 3.36 million ang self-employed, habang 12.5% ng 5.07 million ay voluntary members.
Idinagdag pa ni Ignacio na mahalaga sa SSS na nakatuon ang kanilang promotion sa self-employed professional at non-working indibiviuals na hindi pa miyembro, maging sa mga miyembro na nahiwalay mula sa kanilang employment para makinabang sila mula sa social protection.
“Being part of the 3.73 million unemployed individuals (per the latest Labor Force Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority, as of May 2021), they are deemed as the most vulnerable members of the society. SSS coverage is the most affordable form of social security they can avail of,” ani Ignacio.
Ang self-employed member ay hindi dapat hihigit sa 60-taong gulang, walang employer at mayroong monthly income na nasa ₱3,250.
Ang voluntary member naman ay dapat non-working spouse (NWS) ng isang SSS member o hiwalay na miyembro.
Ang NWS ay ang mga legally married o kasalukuyang employed at aktibong nagbabayad na miyembro, at full time na nag-aasikaso ng pamilya at bahay, at hindi pa naging miyembro ng SSS.
Ang SEVMs naman ay makakatanggap din ng social security benefits tulad ng sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, death, at funeral benefits.
Kwalipikado rin silang mag-avail ng member loans para sa salary, calamity, at educational assistance at pension loans.
