TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, April 1 (PIA) -- Fourteen municipal governments and one barangay in Bohol have innovated their local treasuries accommodating for an extra task: collecting and remitting social security contributions from their casual workers and providing coverage for the blood of their operations.

The authorities in the municipalities of Ubay, San Miguel, Maribojoc, Calape, Loboc, Danao, Alicia, Mabini, Dimiao, Duero, Catigbian, Baclayon, Lila and Batuan as well as Barangay del Carmen Weste in Balilihan have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Social Security System (SSS), according to SSS Bohol Assistant Head Dioscoro Madanguit.

The MOA is for the social security coverage of their casual workers whether job order, plantilla, or working as Contract of Service providers positions to be enrolled in SSS for workers in the private sector.

Madanguit shared the information that same day the SSS Relief Afforded to Challenged Employers (RACE) Team called on Tubigon Mayor William Jao and Vice Mayor Rene Villaber to implement RACE and also to campaign for the enrolment of the town’s more than 600 casual workers in the SSS.

Negotiations are now ongoing for Tubigon, while Bohol Provincial Government legislators are also paving the way for SSS coverage to their thousands of casual, contractual, and job order workers.

Earlier, Board Member Tomas Abapo, Jr., manifesting his concern to help alleviate the plight of provincial govenrment workers who could not be enrolled under the Government Service Insurance System.

He said that the opened service could also help permanent employees who have been previous members of the SSS, as they can opt to continue their membership to enjoy sickness benefits, maternity benefits, disability benefits, salary loan, retirement benefits, death benefits, funeral benefits, unemployment benefits and automatic members to the Employees Compensation Program.

Officer-In-Charge of the Provincial Human Resources Development  Office, May Limbaga, said that casuals whether Job Order, Job Order Plantilla, and Contract of Service are personnel working for the different offices and serving Boholanos but without a formal employer-employee relations and can not enjoy the benefits afforded to permanent employees.

But Madanguit, who was invited during the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Committee on Personnel, said that SSS has seen hope for these workers via the partnership of the SSS and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The partnership on expanded self-employed coverage program stated in DILG Memo Circular 2014-83 has established a way where these employees can have protection against the hazard of disability, sickness, maternity, old age, and other contingencies.

The program, however, is not mandatory but casual workers not covered by the GSIS Law can be registered in the SSS under the SSS self-employed members.

Here, a MOA is required between the Local Government Unit and SSS.

The MOA is for the workers to be protected while employed in the LGU and to authorize the LGU to collect and remit their SSS contributions.

The Capitol is expected to start a series of consultations to determine the worker’s pulse on the matter and for the Provincial Legal Office to revisit the local government code to see if it is still within the purview of the governor to enter into the mulled MOA with the SSS. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)