The Social Security System said it disbursed a total of P90.52 billion worth of Social Security and Employees Compensation benefits to about 3.46 million members, pensioners, and their beneficiaries, in the first five months of the year.
The benefit disbursements from January to May 2021 were higher by 13.3 percent from the P79.93 billion released in the same period last year, a press release from SSS said.
Of the total benefit releases, around 99 percent or P89.92 billion were for social security benefits while the remaining P608 million were for EC benefit disbursements.
Retirement payouts amounting to P53.74 billion represents 60 percent of the entire benefit disbursements, covering over 1.81 million pensioners. The SSS also disbursed P23.72 billion in death benefits to 1.08 million claimants, P2.44 billion in disability benefits to 97,258 members, P5.99 billion maternity benefits to 157,132 female members, P1.44 billion in sickness benefits to 147,210 members, P1.96 billion funeral benefits to 84,530 claimants, and P642 million in unemployment benefits to 47,764 members.
Under the EC program, the SSS also distributed P426 million in death benefits to 16,492 beneficiaries, P78 million disability benefits to 2,044 members, P98 million sickness benefits to 11,663 members, P2 million for medical services to 393 members, and P3 million in funeral benefits to 114 claimants.
“On top of the regular SS benefits, employed and self-employed members are also entitled to receive EC benefits in case of work-related sickness or injury, disability or death. This is why we always reiterate in our promotional campaigns the primary responsibility of our member-employers, which is to report their workers and remit their SS and EC contributions regularly to SSS,” SSS president and chief executive officer Aurora Ignacio said.*
