Three of the establishments visited were delinquent business owners, while the other 13 have not yet registered with SSS. It is estimated that a total of 3,5000,000.00 pesos will be collected from them according to SSS.

Last month, the SSS RACE Team also conducted their campaign in Pagadian where they visited 10 establishments. However, only 4 business owners responded to the notices given to them, where 1 of them complied, 3 of them partially complied, and the rest are now subject to legal actions according to SSS Pagadian Branch Manager, Edwin A. Remoto.

“We made sure and remind all our Accounts Officers to contact the respective employers to really comply with the Show Cause Orders,” said Atty. Danrie Duarte of the SSS Operations Legal Department, Mindanao West Division.

Duarte also noted that SSS offers a condonation program that waives the penalties of delinquent employers, but it only covers the period from March 2020 to February 2022. Employers with delinquencies or who failed to register beyond this period will not have their penalties waived.

Atty. Duarte added that SSS can offer installment schemes for business owners, depending on the mode of schemes of installment preferred by the employers.

The SSS RACE Campaign aims to ensure that all establishments in the country comply with their obligations. The SSS encourages all business owners to register and pay their employees’ contributions to avoid legal action and penalties. (RVC/HTB/PIA Zamboanga del Sur)