After PhilHealth deferment, solon seeks SSS, Pag-IBIG rate hike halt

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should also order the deferment of increase in the members' contribution to the Social Security System (SSS) and the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund), House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro said Tuesday.

Castro made the call following the president's directive to pause the premium hike set to be implemented by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) due to “socioeconomic challenges." 

"I think we can cite the same reason to also defer the premium hikes of the SSS and the Pag-IBIG Fund. Inflation is still rising, with the first week of 2023 ushering in a big time oil price hike and a staggering increase in water and power rates," Castro, representative of party-list Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said in a statement.

Beginning January 1, 2023, the new contribution rate for SSS will be at 14%, up one percentage point from the current 13%.

In a statement, Pag-IBIG Fund said it would first "conduct consultations with employers and labor groups before it implements any contribution increase."

The lawmaker said the Palace can write or order the board of directors of the SSS and PAG-IBIG to defer their contribution hikes because Filipino workers need every peso that they earn to feed their families now.

“Sa pagtataas ng premium rates ay parang inaagawan pa ng SSS at PAGIBIG ang mga pamilya ng manggagawa ng kanilang pagkain," Castro argued.

(The increase in premium rates has become tantamount to depriving the workers of money they can use to buy food.)

"Sana ay makinig ang Malacañang at ang pamunuan ng SSS at PAG-IBIG para di na sila makadagdag pa sa hirap ng mga mamamayan sa ngayon," she added.

(I hope the Palace heeds this call to help unburden our people.)

Prior to the deferment, the PhilHealth premium rate is supposed to increase to 4.5% from 4%, meaning its lowest earning members will pay an additional P50 on top of their existing P400 monthly contribution. —LDF/NB, GMA Integrated News