SSS to provide assistance to typhoon victims

MANILA, Philippines — The Social Security System (SSS) will provide a calamity assistance package to its members and pensioners who were affected by Super Typhoon Rolly, Typhoon Quinta, and Typhoon Ulysses starting Nov. 27.

In a statement released over the weekend, the SSS said qualified members may soon start applying for the state fund’s calamity assistance package, which will include the Calamity Loan Assistance Program (CLAP), three-month advance pension, and Direct House Repair and Improvement Loan.

The package will be available to members and pensioners in areas declared under State of Calamity by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council due to typhoons Rolly, Quino and Ulysses.

The SSS said applications for CLAP and the advance pension will be open from Nov. 27 until Feb. 26, 2021, while the Direct House Repair and Improvement Loan will be open for one year.

“The SSS commiserates with everyone who was affected by the said typhoons. It hopes that through the assistance package and its regular benefit programs, it may help its members and pensioners during these difficult times,” the pension fund said.

Aside from the SSS, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has also opened its Emergency Loan Program for members who were hit by Rolly, Ulysses, and other typhoons since October.

Under the loan program, qualified members and pensioners may borrow P20,000 with an interest rate of six percent, payable in 36 monthly installments.

Qualified to apply for the program are members in active service, not on leave or absence without pay, and have no pending administrative or criminal case. They must have a net take home pay of not lower than P5,000 after all the required monthly obligations have been deducted.

Old-age and disability pensioners are qualified to apply if their resulting net monthly take-home pension after loan availment is at least 25 percent of their basic monthly pension.

“Those that have due and demandable loan accounts (have arrears of over six months) are now allowed to renew their previous emergency loan from a different calamity (excluded under the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program),” the pension fund said.

Members with only three months of paid premiums prior to application date may already apply, it added.

“For GSIS members who have already availed of the COVID-19 Emergency Loan Program or not qualified for the emergency loan, you can borrow under the Multi-Purpose Loan program if you need funds. The GSIS multi-purpose loan is a low-interest loan with a one-time waiver of surcharges of your other loan accounts,” Macasaet said.

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Article and Photo originally posted by Philippine Star last November 16, 2020 12:00am and written by Mary Grace Padin.