Bills granting PRRD powers to suspend PhilHealth, SSS hike filed

MANILA – Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Thursday filed twin measures seeking to grant President Rodrigo Duterte the power to suspend the scheduled increases in the contribution rates of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and the Social Security System (SSS) “in times of national emergencies.”

Velasco filed House Bills 8316 and 8317, which seek to amend Republic Act 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act and RA 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018, respectively.

He called for the swift approval of the twin measures both aimed at alleviating the financial burden faced by Filipino workers amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis.

“These are extraordinary times and Congress must respond accordingly,” Velasco said.

Under the bills, the President may, in consultation with the Secretaries of the Department of Health and the Department of Finance as chairpersons of PhilHealth and SSS, respectively, “suspend the implementation of the scheduled increases in premium rates in times of national emergencies when public interest so requires.”

In filing HB 8316, Velasco said suspending the imposition of the new PhilHealth premium rates will provide a much-needed relief from the negative effects of the pandemic and will assure Filipinos that the government is sensitive to their sentiments.

“While we recognize that the [PhilHealth] only aims to implement the provisions of RA 11223, imposing a higher premium rate to our kababayans under our current conditions will definitely enforce a new round of financial burden to its members,” Velasco said.

Velasco said Filipinos have barely recovered from the losses and difficulties brought by Covid-19.

“Even today, while some restrictions may have been lifted, most livelihood, businesses, and other sources of income remain shuttered and closed, while many Filipinos remain unemployed,” he said.

Velasco cited that the unemployment rate in the country still stands at 8.7 percent, or equivalent to 3.8 million Filipinos in the labor force.

He stressed that the social justice provisions in the 1987 Philippine Constitution were precisely drafted and written to avoid double economic jeopardy to Filipinos during times of crisis.

Meanwhile, in filing HB 8317, Velasco said the temporary suspension of the hike in SSS contributions will help the workforce achieve faster recovery from the impact of the pandemic.

Notwithstanding the good intention of the scheduled increases in SSS contribution rates under RA 11199, Velasco said it must be suspended while the country faces a national public health emergency.

“We are witnesses to the negative impact of this Covid-19 outbreak. Under this pretext, the sovereign government must be given the prerogative to bend the rules of the social security law in favor of the greater good,” Velasco said.

He warned that increasing the rate of contributions of SSS members will undermine the recovery effort of everyone suffering from job losses, wage reduction, business closures, and health-related issues.