Over 600 Masbateños benefit from crackdown on delinquent employers

MASBATE CITY --- In the three years since the launch of the Run After Contribution Evaders (RACE) campaign, more than 600 employees have regained access to their Social Security System (SSS) benefits.

Maria Charissa Oliver-Velasco, the SSS legal officer for the Bicol region, reported that the Masbate branch collected a total of ₱2,959,376 from delinquent employers between 2022 and 2024.

Velasco said that the SSS conducted 15 RACE operations from 2022 to 2024, during which the RACE enforcers visited 127 employers in the city of Masbate who failed to remit contributions for 635 employees.

Velasco said the sorties helped ensure the social security protection of the pension fund’s employee-members in Masbate.

When employers do not make these contributions, SSS members may find themselves unable to access essential social security benefits, including maternity, sickness, retirement, or disability pay.

This situation could result in delays or denials of critical financial assistance due to gaps in their coverage, Velasco explained.

Data from the SSS branch revealed that a non-compliant employer was slapped with a criminal case for failing to remit employee contributions and penalties.

Despite receiving violation notices from the SSS, the employer did not address its outstanding contribution delinquencies.

The agency is also planning to charge another delinquent employer for a similar offense, according to Velasco.

The SSS branch is currently waiting for compliance from 32 employers who have not fulfilled their obligations, she said.

Velasco warned that under RA 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018, “an employer who fails or refuses to register their employees, deduct contributions from them, and/or fails to remit the same, including the employer’s share to the SSS, will be penalized by a fine of P5,000 to P20,000, and/or be imprisoned for six years and one day to 12 years, at the discretion of the court.”

“We urge delinquent employers to fulfill their obligations under the Social Security Law. They ought to collaborate with us in delivering significant social security protection to our private-sector employees,” she added. (PIA 5/Masbate)