Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero declared his support for the call to increase Social Security System (SSS) pensions, saying what beneficiaries are currently receiving is simply not enough.
Escudero made the statement on Thursday (January 28) during the CNN Philippines’ Town Hall where he and Sen. Grace Poe, along with CNN Philippines chief correspondent Pia Hontiveros, talked about the elections and the issues concerning the country.
Escudero said, “Sinuportahan namin pareho yung dagdag dalawang libo sa pension ng SSS retirees kasi napakababa ng kanilang tinatanggap – P1,200 a month na hindi naman talaga sapat para mabuhay ng normal. Pambili pa lamang ng gamot, kulang na yon.“
[Translation: We both support the additional P2,000 for the pension of SSS retirees because what they are getting now is too low – P1,200 a month is not a enough to sustain a normal life. You cannot even buy medicine with that.]
Escudero, who is gunning for the vice presidential position in the coming elections, also took the SSS to task and referred to the statements made during the recent hearings regarding the issue of pension hikes.
He said, “Nung una humarap sa amin ang SSS, ang sabi nila 1.1 million daw ang retirees. Sa kalagitnaan ng hearing sabi nila, 1.5 million daw. Nung vineto ni Pangulong Aquino, biglang naging 2.1 million daw yung ginamit nilang datos kaugnay sa bilang ng retirees.”
[Translation: When the SSS first faced us, they said there were 1.1 million retirees. In the middle of the hearing, they said 1.5 million. When the proposal was vetoed by Pres. Aquino, it sudddenly became 2.1 million.]
He added that during the hearings, it was mentioned that the SSS would go bankrupt in 2029, and that the agency never mentioned that their officials were receiving hefty bonuses, with the head of the agency receiving up to P7 million as a year-end bonus.
Escudero said, “Tapos nung vineto ni Pangulong Aquino, 2027 na bigla maba-bangkarote ang SSS. Ano ba talaga ang totoong datos nila?”
[Translation: And when it was vetoed by Pres. Aquino, they said that the SSS would go bankrupt by 2027. What is the real data?]
Escudero mentioned that a pension fund has yet to go bankrupt anywhere in the world.
He added, if the government can spend P100 billion for the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program, why can’t it spend P20 to P30 billion for SSS pensioners?
“And to think, ang collection efficiency ng SSS ay nasa 38 percent lamang,” he said
[Translation: And to think that the collection efficiency of the SSS is only at 38 percent.]
Escudero said he does not understand why Aquino would veto a pension hike when he did not offer any opposition to the large sums given as bonuses to SSS officials.
Also read: Aquino defends veto of SSS pension hike bill
He added, “Kung hindi sya nagreklamo sa collection efficiency na napakababa, hindi ko rin maunawaan bakit nya tinututulan ito nang walang ginagawa ang SSS.”
[Translation: If he (Aquino) did not complain about the low collection efficiency, then I do not understand why he is against this when the SSS isn’t doing anything.]
Escudero then said that he filed a resolution to override the president’s veto – a sense of the Senate resolution.
Also read: Senators seek override of pension hike veto
He said they have gathered 12 signatures so far, and only four are needed for the override.
However, Escudero said that he was unable to speak for the Congress if they would be able to do it.
He clarified, “Sa Senado, nung pinagbotohan ito, labing lima ang bumotong pabor. Si Senator Enrile lamang ang nag-abstain o bumoto against. Pumirma si Senator Enrile dun sa override ng veto. So kung yun labing limang bumoto noon, pabor dito, boboto lang muli, may sapat kaming boto dapat para ma-override yung veto ni Pangulong Aquino at least sa parte ng senado.”
[Translation: In the Senate, 15 voted for it. Sen. Enrile was the only one who abstained or voted against it. Sen. Enrile signed the override of the veto. So if that were the 15 who voted for this, then, it would only take another round of voting and we would have enough signatures to override Pres. Aquino’s veto, at least on the part of the Senate.]
Related: Senators slam SSS veto
