By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As part of various measures to lighten the burden of the current situation on the citizenry, Malacañang said that it is studying various proposals raised by lawmakers to ease various aspects of daily life, particularly for the middle class.
In a briefing on Wednesday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro welcomed the suggestion of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian calling for a pause in pension premium contributions.
The Senate Finance Committee Chairperson earlier said that suspending the collection of contributions would greatly help the bottom line of pensioners and contributors as Filipinos navigate these difficult times.
Usec. Castro told the media, “Iyan ang aaralin pero sa ngayon ay mayroon nang ginagawa ang SSS (Social Security System), ang GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) at Pag-IBIG (Home Development Mutual Fund) para sa ating mga kababayan dahil nga sa nangyayaring gulo sa Middle East.
Re-refund muna para magamit ng ating mga kababayan at babayaran nila ito nang walang interest. At sa ngayon ay mayroon nang 297,162 out of 353,667 applications na nag-qualify na para dito sa Balik Ginhawa program.”
She went on to outline the initiatives by the SSS, GSIS, and Pag-IBIG Fund to aid their members, on top of other interventions rolled out by the government in recent weeks.
For SSS, there is about P60 billion in financial assistance and benefits for its members, pensioners, and employers for loan programs and early implementation of the 2026 pension increase.
The GSIS, for its part, is implementing the Balik Ginhawa program, which involves a three-month loan moratorium.
Pag-IBIG, on the other hand, earlier said that it is maintaining a 3% socialized housing rate under the Expanded 4PH Program, while also launching a benefit package to help repatriated OFWs start anew in the Philippines.
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