SSS receives international citation for inclusiveness schemes

State pension fund Social Security System (SSS) has earned an international citation from the world’s leading association of social-security institutions for its various programs launched in recent years to promote inclusive growth by targeting informal sector (IS) workers and hard-to-reach rural areas of the country. 

SSS Senior Vice President for Administration Group May Catherine Ciriaco said the International Social Security Association (ISSA), which has over 330 member-organizations from more than 160 countries, honored the SSS for the several programs under its “Moving toward Inclusive Growth” project.

“The SSS is part of the select group of seven organizations, as well as the lone Philippine institution, that received a Certificate of Merit with Special Mention for 2015,” said Ciriaco, who represented the SSS during the ISSA Good Practice Awards for Asia and the Pacific held in Oman recently.

The ISSA international jury lauded the SSS for its “innovative and progressive approach to extending coverage in this difficult sector, involving good coordination with local government structures and the communities involved,” adding that the SSS’ strategy “provides a basis for future development.”

SSS initiatives that garnered the ISSA recognition include the AlkanSSSya Program; collecting and servicing partner agent arrangements with cooperatives and microfinance institutions (MFI); Social Security Subsidy Program; coverage program for job order and contractual workers in government; and the MuniSSSipyo Collect Program for areas with scarce banking facilities.

In its paper sent to ISSA, the SSS cited the need for “creative approaches” to reach out to IS workers “that recognize the irregularity of their incomes and differences in the nature of their businesses,” “require partnerships with organized IS groups so that there are identified and shared responsibilities,” and “allow for ‘wholesale’ social security coverage instead of SSS going after individual IS workers on a piecemeal basis.”

Ciriaco said IS workers and residents of far-flung areas face barriers to an active SSS membership such as the lack of accessible banks and collection facilities.