TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, March 25 (PIA) -- In a bid to extend protection to workers in the private sector, a team from the Social Security System (SSS) swooped down upon the establishments found to be remiss in their contributions obligations based on the Social Security Law. 

SSS Visayas Acting Vice President Atty. Alberto Montalbo along with a team from the agency’s legal department, went to Tagbilaran City’s main business district to hand out orders for them to explain to SSS why they have been remiss in paying their workers' contributions as mandated by law.

The team implemented the Run After Contribution Evaders (RACE) here, visiting six establishments and handing out the orders, forcing the companies to manifest to the SSS within 15 days why they shall not be held legally accountable for non-payment of their workers’ contributions even if they have collected the same from them.

In Tagbilaran City, within a span of two hours, the SSS has issued notices to an outsourcing company, a water refilling station, a beauty and wellness center, a cellphone repair shop, a food shack, and a car pimping company found to be remiss in their obligations to the SSS even before the pandemic.

Dioscoro Madanguit of SSS Bohol said the RACE program used to be the agency's shame campaign to ensure employers' compliance to the Social Security Law. 

The SSS RACE team was mandated to post notices of violations and even went as far as padlocking establishments found to have outstanding payables for their workers’ benefits.

But with newly-appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, Michael Regino, the same campaign took on a more humane twist by visiting the erring establishments and citing them for their delinquencies, and then informing them of the government’s remedies which are made available to them. 

The RACE Team visited six employers here who failed to remit the SSS contributions of their employees to encourage them to avail of the ongoing condonation program under the Pandemic Relief and Restructuring Program (PRRP) of SSS, Montalbo said.

“We would like to remind our employers to be mindful of their legal obligations under the Social Security Law such as remittance of contributions. It should be remitted as they fall due so that their employees will qualify to avail of the SSS benefits and loan privileges," explained SSS Bohol Field Office Chief Engr. Alieta Basubas. 

Some of them promised to update their records but then stopped paying again. 

“We would also like to apprise our employers that they can request for a seminar with their account officers to keep them abreast of their legal obligations,” Montalbo said.

SSS is currently offering condonation programs for delinquent employers.

These are the "PRRP 2: Condonation of Penalties on SS contributions" which will run until May 19, and "PPRP 3: Enhanced Installment Payment Program" which is open for applicants until Nov. 21.

Delinquent employers are advised to coordinate with their respective account officers to avail of these programs.

Employers who were subjected to RACE were reminded to settle within 15 days from receipt of the notice, otherwise SSS will be constrained to take legal actions against the responsible officers of the company for violation of the SS Law upon lapse of the offered Pandemic Relief and Restructuring Programs.

"Delinquent employers are welcome to avail of the ongoing condonation programs offered by SSS,” Montalbo added. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)