Some 35% of employers in the city are delinquent, an official of the Social Security System (SSS) Luzon North 1 cluster said here recently.
SSS Luzon North 1 cluster senior communications analyst Christian Andrew Rillorta said that employers who failed to remit to the SSS the deducted employees contributions and their counterpart for at least one month are already considered as delinquent and subjected to the imposition of fines and the filing of the appropriate charges against them if they continuously refuse to do so.
He said that based on the pertinent provisions of the SSS law of 2018, delinquent employers stand to face imprisonment for a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years aside from paying the unremitted contributions, including penalties and surcharges.
The SSS Luzon North 1 cluster official disclosed that an employer from the city has already been convicted for violation of the pertinent provisions of the SSS Law of 2018 and this should serve as a lesson for employers to religiously remit to the SSS the employees contributions and their corresponding counterpart to avoid such grave penalties in the future.
According to him, delinquent employers are welcome to visit the SSS branches in the different parts of the region to negotiate the terms on how to settle their delinquencies so that their employees will be able to enjoy the benefits that are attached to their being members of the social insurance company.
Rillorta explained that SSS is compassionate on the plight of employees and employers that is why delinquent employers should not wait for the issuance of the requisite notice of violation before they will settle their obligation.
Under the SSS Law of 2018, all employers are mandated to declare their employees within a 30-day period after being hired and for them to religiously remit to the SSS the educated employees contributions and their corresponding counterparts.
Earlier, the SSS conducted a simultaneous Run Against Contribution Evaders (RACE) in the different parts of the country going after more than 1,400 delinquent employers for them to settle their obligation with the social insurance corporation so that their employees will be able to enjoy the benefits of being members.
In the city, there were some eight delinquent employers who were issued notices of violation which affected some 236 employees with nearly PhP10 million of unremitted contributions, including penalties and surcharges.
Rillorta hopes that the delinquent employers who were issued the requisite notices of violation will negotiate with the SSS on how will they settle their obligation to avoid the matter being referred to the legal department for the preparation of the filing of the appropriate legal action against them to compel them to pay their unremitted contributions, including penalties and surcharges.
He emphasized that as much as possible, SSS does not want to initiate the filing of legal actions against delinquent employers that is why those who have unremitted contributions should visit the nearest branch to negotiate how to settle their obligations without being charged. By Dexter A. See
