There is now some hope for Filipinos who recently got laid off from their jobs.
Unemployed members of Social Security System (SSS) can now claim a cash benefit as an unemployment assistance under Republic Act 11199. President Rodrigo Duterte recently signed the Social Security Act of 2018 which provides unemployment insurance of at least P10,000 per month to members who have been involuntarily dismissed from their work.
The monetary benefits are for individuals who have been laid off or terminated instead of resigning. The newest version of Social Security Act states that the recently unemployed Filipinos shall be paid benefits of monthly cash payments that is equivalent to 50 percent of the average monthly salary credit. This is determined by the member’s previous SSS contributions.
Source: Rappler File Photo
To apply for this benefit, you must have made at least 36 monthly contributions to your SSS account. That is a total of three years’ worth of SSS contributions. The last 12 contributions was made for the last 18 months before you got separated from your recent job. In addition, the SSS member who can claim the SSS benefit should not be over 60 years old. It also states that an individual can only claim the unemployment benefit once every three years.
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Lastly, the unemployment benefit is only up to two months. Dick Gordon, the author of the new SSS law, shared that he hopes that the two month unemployment insurance is enough to help the unemployed Filipinos to look for a new job. Furthermore, he said that the two-month period should only be enough until the SSS member can find another source of income.
The said SSS unemployment benefit is said to be the first in the country’s history. Workers are encourage to always check if their employers are remitting their SSS contributions regularly.
Related: Check if you company is paying your SSS contribution
