Lotto workers may avail of ‘unemployment insurance’: DOLE

FILE: LOTTO OUTLETS. Lotto outlets along Visayas Avenue in Quezon City were closed on Saturday (July 27, 2019), in compliance with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to stop the operation of all outlets of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s (PCSO) Lotto, Small Town Lottery (STL) and Peryahan ng Bayan in the country due to “massive corruption”. The President announced the order via the Presidential Communications Operations Office’s Facebook page. (PNA photos by Gil Calinga)

MANILA — An official of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday urged workers, who will be displaced due to the closure of all gaming activities of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) upon the order of President Rodrigo Duterte, to avail of unemployment assistance.

Labor Assistant Secretary Benjo Benavidez said affected workers who are members of the Social Security System (SSS) could apply for unemployment insurance under Republic Act 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2019.

“I’m sure they know the Social Security Reform Act which was enacted into law this year. One of its provisions is the unemployment insurance. Workers who were involuntarily displaced by reason of economic causes can avail of this benefit,” he said in a press conference.

With this, the DOLE official noted that affected workers have to secure certification that they have lost their jobs involuntarily.

“They need a certification that says they lost their jobs due to involuntary termination such as redundancy, retrenchment or closure or cessation of business operation,” he said.

Benavidez added that they are coordinating with the SSS to hasten the processing of the benefit for the affected workers.

Last February, Duterte signed into law Republic Act 11199, which provides involuntary separation benefits for SSS members that could help them while looking for another source of income.

Under Section 14-B of RA 11199, a member who finds himself/herself involuntarily unemployed can claim an unemployment benefit equivalent to 50 percent of his average monthly salary credit for a maximum of two months.

The member should not be more than 60 years of age and has paid at least 36 months contributions, twelve months of which should be within the 18-month period prior to the involuntary unemployment or separation. The law is authored by Senator Richard Gordon.

On Friday, President Duterte ordered the closure of all gaming activities of PCSO because of “massive corruption.”