The Social Security System (SSS) asserted that it is aggressively pursuing delinquent employers nationwide and vows to intensify further its efforts to collect their unremitted contributions.

SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando Ledesma Macasaet made the statement to assure all SSS members of its commitment to pursue delinquent employers and to urge all employers to comply with their obligations of religiously remitting the social security contributions of their employees.

“Each employer is assigned to a specific SSS Account Officer (AO) whose responsibility is to ensure employers’ compliance to Republic Act 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018, such as registration and reporting of their employees and remittance of corresponding contributions to SSS,” Macasaet explained.

He added that Statements of Account (SOAs) are prepared regularly, which leads to the conduct of payroll audits whenever discrepancies are discovered. Billing letters are then sent to the employers who are obliged to settle as soon as possible or within the payment deadline.

Errant employers will receive a demand letter from SSS which could lead to the filing of a case assuming the persistent non-compliance by the employer.

SSS intensified its Run After Contribution Evaders (RACE) campaigns, which aim to compel delinquent employers to comply with the law by issuing a Notice of Violation and instructing them to report to SSS within 15 days or face legal consequences.

“Even though we are aggressively pursuing delinquent employers, we still offer them some relief through our contribution penalty condonation programs for their consideration so that penalties may be waived if they are deemed eligible,” he said.

“SSS is also continuously reconciling and updating its records since we discover that several employers sometimes neglect to update the list of their employees in the SSS records resulting in overstated SOAs being issued by SSS,” Macasaet said.

SSS issues hundreds of thousands of SOAs and billing letters, which have to be later classified depending on actions taken by SSS and/or the concerned employer.

SSS regularly coordinates with state auditors toward fairness in the presentation of financial statements as well as in assessing compliance with pertinent laws, rules, regulations, and policies or procedures. State auditors’ observations, recommendations, and reports help drive continuous efforts to improve SSS operations.

Meanwhile, Macasaet ensures stakeholders that SSS is financially capable of continuously paying benefits and granting loans to its members and pensioners as its cash flows remain healthy, with revenues outpacing expenditures. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – State-run Landbank of the Philippines has extended a P16.63 million loan to rice farmers in Leyte from January to June 2023 through its two major lending programs.

Landbank Leyte Lending Center head Resty Ilagan said some 96 farmers received the loan during the first six months of the year under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) and the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF).

“These loan programs are designed to boost the productivity and income of small rice farmers suffering from the low buying price of palay and high production cost,” Ilagan said in a press briefing Thursday.

Total releases this year, however, is lower than the P23.25 million recorded in the same period in 2022 with 119 borrowers.

The bank is stepping up an information drive to raise awareness of local rice farmers on the loan program of the government bank.

“Leyte is one of the priority provinces due to the high incidence of poverty among families engaged in farming. We hope that more will avail the loan in the remaining months of the year,” Ilagan added.

Landbank Leyte Lending Center account officer Lyn Peñaranda said that under RCEF, individual farmers may borrow up to 90 percent of their total project cost at a low fixed interest rate of 2 percent per year.

“The loan may be used to purchase farm inputs for rice and rice seed production, as well as farm machinery and equipment for production and post-production,” Peñaranda added.

As mandated by law, Landbank will continue to administer the RCEF program until 2024 and make available P500 million in loans annually to rice farmers registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) in 38 rice-producing provinces.

The ACEF Lending Program, on the other hand, aims to provide necessary credit to farmers and fisherfolk and their cooperatives and associations to increase their productivity; and to establish an agricultural lending program that enhances the competitiveness of target project beneficiaries or sectors, especially the small farmers and fisherfolk.

The loanable amount under ACEF is up to 90 percent of the total project cost but not to exceed P1 million per individual farmer or fisherfolk, and P5 million per project loan per farmer and fisherfolk cooperative and association. (PNA)

BORONGAN CITY-To further boost citizen’s access to primary health care services, the PhilHealth Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) – Local Health Integrated Office (LHIO) in this city recently announced a wider coverage of the program which gives free consultation in accredited healthcare facilities in the province.

According to PhilHealth Borongan Information Officer Sherwin Aquino, the said program is commonly called the “PhilHealth Konsulta – Konsultasyong Sulit at Tama.”

He said that before, only those who are admitted to the hospital or hospitalization service can avail of the said program, but now, “outpatient” can avail of the package included in the program.

Aquino also said that in order to avail of the benefits under the Konsulta Benefit Package, interested individuals should have a PhilHealth Identification Number (PIN) and updated records in the PhilHealth.

“It is mandated on the Universal Health Care Law that it is very important and necessary that all Filipino citizens are on the list of the accredited facility for them to avail the ‘preventive health care services’ in order for them to be admitted in the accredited facility,” he said.

He disclosed that as of now, there are only nine accredited Konsulta providers in Eastern Samar — the Borongan City Rural Health Unit RHU-1 and RHU-2, Eastern Samar Provincial Hospital (ESPH), RHU-Can-avid, RHU-Taft, RHU-Maydolong, RHU-Salcedo, Felipe Abrigo Memorial Hospital (FAMH), and RHU-Guiuan.

He further said that there are health facilities that are also in the process for accreditation: the RHU-Sulat and RHU-San-Policarpo.

Meanwhile, the Borongan Doctor’s Hospital in Borongan City and Domingo Casano Hospital in Dolores, are also applying for accreditation.

PhilHealth shall release annual capitation funds to accredited Konsulta Providers in tranches based on the number of registered members and their performance at a per capita rate of P500 in public facilities, and P750 in private providers for every patient.

The application for Konsulta accreditation is open to non-hospital facilities such as rural health units, ambulatory surgical clinics, and infirmaries.

All outpatient departments of PhilHealth accredited Level 1, 2, and 3 are also encouraged to be accredited for the purpose.
(MMP/SDC/PIA-E. Samar)

TACLOBAN CITY-Eastern Visayas registered a Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of 65.6 percent in April 2023.

This placed the region’s labor force at 2.15 million persons who were either employed or unemployed out of the estimated 3.28 million population 15 years old and over.

The 65.6 percent LFPR was higher by 1.9 percentage points than the 63.7 percent LFPR recorded in January 2023. This figure was also higher by 5.6 percentage points compared with the 60.0 LFPR in April 2022.

This means that the labor force in April 2023 was higher by around 73 thousand persons than the 2.08 million persons who were in the labor force in January 2023, and higher by around 202 thousand persons than the 1.95 million labor force in April 2022 (Figure 1).

The region’s employment rate in April 2023 decreased to 95.8 percent, from 96.2 percent in January 2023. The 95.8 percent employment rate translates to about 2.06 million employed persons out of the 2.15 million persons in the labor force in April 2023. This number was higher by about 62 thousand employed persons compared with the 2.00 million employed persons in January 2023. Furthermore, the number of employed persons in April 2023 was higher by around 229 thousand persons than the estimated 1.83 million employed persons in April 2022.

Eastern Visayas’ unemployment rate was estimated at 4.2 percent in April 2023, higher by 0.4 percentage point than the 3.8 percent unemployment rate in January 2023.

The 4.2 percent unemployment rate was equivalent to around 90 thousand persons in the labor force who were unemployed in April 2023, higher by about 11 thousand unemployed persons compared with the 79 thousand unemployed persons in January 2023. The 4.2 percent unemployment rate in April 2023 was lower compared with the 6.0 percent unemployment rate in April 2022 which was equivalent to 116 thousand unemployed persons.

The underemployment rate in April 2023 was posted at 18.0 percent or about 370 thousand persons out of around 2.06 million employed persons registered during the quarter. This was 0.8 percentage point lower than the rate in January 2023 at 18.8 percent. However, this was higher by 3.1 percentage points compared with the 14.8 percent underemployment rate registered in April 2022. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources(BFAR) in the region has turned over P3.2 million worth of deep-sea net or ‘lambaklad’ and fish aggregating device (FAD) or ‘payao’ to four fisherfolks associations in Leyte and Northern Samar provinces.
The granting of the assistance to the fishermen was made through the special area for agricultural development (SAAD) phase II program of BFAR under its food production and livelihood component.

The Monbon Fish Dealers and Vendors Association in Palapag, the Lapinig Fisherfolk Association, and the Baybay SAAD Fisherfolk Association of Gamay, in Northern Samar, and the Union Fishermen’s Association of Mayorga, Leyte were the recipients of the deep-sea device.

Each of these associations received four units of payao worth P200,00.

Through this project, fisherfolks are projected to boost the income of each association by up to 50%, promising a substantial positive impact on their lives and the local economy.
The fisherfolk associations have devised an equitable income-sharing scheme where 60% of the earnings will be divided equally among the members, while the remaining 40% will be allocated towards the overall development of their respective associations.

Eglecerio Comora Jr., president of the group, expressed hope and optimism for the future among fishermen, especially who are part of their association.

“We are hopeful that through this project, there will come a time that we will become a direct fish supplier throughout the municipality of Mayorga, Leyte,” he said.

His association has been furnished with a comprehensive set of resources including lambaklad nets, a 30-footer fiberglass boat complete with complete accessories, a 16 HP Marine engine, and a digital weighing scale with a total worth of P2.4 million.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)