SSS pension hike to reach House plenary mid-November

MANILA, Philippines – The proposed P2,000 across-the-board increase in the monthly pension of Social Security System pensioners will definitely be approved at the committee level and reach the plenary of the House of Representatives by mid-November, an administration lawmaker vowed yesterday.

In a statement, the House committee on government enterprises and privatization led by Rep. Jesus Sacdalan of North Cotabato said they will “approve the committee report with or without the presence of SSS officials on Nov. 15.”

The absence of invited SSS officials during the hearing last Oct. 18 delayed the panel’s approval of the committee report.

Sacdalan said they approved the 16 bills last Sept. 7, after which the panel referred them to the committee on appropriations headed by Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles for the funding provision of the proposals.

“The proposals then were given back to us after the appropriations committee acted on them. We are done with the committee report and it is only a matter of approving it on Nov. 15,” he said.

Another administration lawmaker, Rep. Gus Tambunting of Parañaque, said there is no justifiable reason to delay further their approval of the pension hike since this proposal was approved by both the Senate and the House during the 16th Congress.

The problem was with former president Benigno Aquino III, who deliberately vetoed the proposal.

“The bill has priority status this 17th Congress. This was thoroughly studied during the 16th Congress. So whether or not the SSS officials will show up, we need to discuss and vote on the report so it can proceed thereafter to the plenary,” added Tambunting.