The Social Security System reminded on Wednesday delinquent employers to avail of its condonation program which ends in September.

In a press briefing in Malacanang, SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Aurora Cruz Ignacio said since the condonation penalty program started on March 5 this year, from 16,460 employers with about 155,112 employees, SSS has collected P378.71 million in unpaid premiums and waived more than P1 billion in penalties.

The data did not include household employers, she said.

"Based on established collectibles, there are still more than 115,000 delinquent employers who should avail of this penalty condonation program for unpaid SSS premiums. If all the delinquent employers in our established collectibles settle their unpaid premiums, more than 1.4 million employees stand to benefit the benefits of SSS because these workers can finally maximize their benefits and privileges as SSS members," the state pension fund official said.

She said the condonation program will end by September 1.

Under the condonation program, the qualified employers are those who have not yet registered with SSS, including household employers; those with pending or approved proposals under the existing installment payment scheme program; and those against whom judgement has been rendered either by the Social Security Commission, courts or Office of the Prosecutor but who have not complied with the judgement.

Those who could avail of the program are those with pending or approved applications under the program for acceptance of properties offered under dación en pago; and those who settled all contributions before the effectivity of the SSS Act of 2018 but with unpaid or partially paid penalties for late or non-remittance, as well as those against whom a warrant of distraint levy, garnishment or encumbrance has been issued.

"We strongly urge all delinquent employers to settle now the unpaid premiums of their employees. This contribution condonation will run only until September 1, 2019," Ignacio said.

She admitted that SSS could no longer collect 100 percent from the delinquent employers.

"We don’t expect to collect all 100 percent but since we’re already about three months into the condonation program and we were able to achieve around that numbers, 16,000, we will do a good job by achieving more that 50 percent," she said.

SSS said in case the employer fails to remit in full the required delinquent contribution or defaults in the payment of any installment under the approved proposal within the condonation program period, the penalties are deemed reimposed from the time the contributions first became due to accrue until the delinquent account is paid in full. Celerina Monte/DMS