Where is the promised SSS pension increase?

In his column “Premium increase upsets SSS” (Front Page, 2/3/14), Amando Doronila

commented: “As a sweetener for the increase in premiums (0.6 percent effective Jan. 1, 2014), President Aquino, on the eve of Labor Day last year, unveiled a

7-percent rise in benefits for Social Security System members to be drawn from the 0.6 percent increase in premiums.”

I have withdrawn via ATM my small monthly pension from January 2014 to May 2014, and absolutely there has been no increase.

I checked the record of pension increases in SSS CEO and president Emilio de Quiros Jr.’s report titled “Strengthening  Social Security System” (Talk of the Town, 2/2/14), specifically, under “Figure 4: Increases in contribution rate vs pension.” I arrived at only 18 pension increases from 1980 to 2007, not 21 as reported. Years 1987, 1991 and 1993 were duplicated as follows:

Year Pension increase appeared

1987 20% twice

1991 10% and 15%

1993 10% twice

SSS vice president for public affairs, Marissu Bugante, also mentioned in her letter to the editor (“SSS upped pensions 3x in 14 years,” Opinion, 2/22/14) 21 increases instead of 18. De Quiros and Bugante also differed in the years the increases were made (Bugante,  1980-2003; De Quiros, 1980-2007. According to newspaper reports, the SSS contributions in 2013, exceeded P100 billion. With the 30 million SSS members, the additional 0.6 percent contributions would also be in the

billions.

Now the important question is: Will the poor pensioner ever get a “taste” of the additional billions of pesos to be derived from the contribution increase effective last January? When, if ever?

—BERNARDO V. PERALTA,

retired accounting professor,

Cebu City