BALANGA CITY — Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) will soon be mandatory members of Social Security System (SSS) once the Social Security Act of 2018 is signed into law.
In a press briefing in Balanga City, SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Dooc said one of the advantages of the proposed bill is covering the social security of all OFWs.
“As of now, SSS membership for OFWs is just voluntary. So in the bill, social security coverage for OFWs will be mandatory,” Dooc stressed.
The SSS top official said only a few OFWs are actively paying their monthly contributions.
“Only less than 600,000 OFWs are registered SSS members out of about three to ten million OFWs,” he revealed.
Membership of OFWs will secure their retirement through entitlement to lifetime pension benefits.
SSS has been calling for changes to its charter to allow it to raise the contribution rate through the Social Security Act of 2018.