What ails the SSS?

ILIGAN City ― What is the matter with the Social Security System of this country? Is there something very wrong with it? The answer: Nothing. Something As in something is very wrong with it. So how does one deal with it? So how do many members deal with it? The answer can be summed up in 3 words: With great difficulty!

Those are some of the perceptions of the people dealing with it here.

Here are some specifics. A man was claiming funeral benefits for his recently dead wife. Let us call him Leandro. When he submitted his documents for said claim, the personnel entertaining him at this branch in the city told him that he had to come up with these documents too. Which were not there among the papers he had submitted. So…

He returned a few days later. With the documents of course. Another personnel was entertaining Leandro. Upon examining the documents that he had attached to his claim, he was given another set of requirements that he had to come up with. So, another so…

A few days later he returned. Only to be told by another person that he had to come up with such and such. At this point, Leandro hit the roof. Saying such words as, “What’s wrong with you people, why these staggered requirements, blah, blah, blah, etc., etc!

That did it. He received his claim. Is the SSS not aware of the saying in tagalog, “magbiro sa lasing, hindi sa ano, sa bagong gising.”

Another claimant said that he was directed to “go digital.” This was to follow up on his salary loan.

He was then directed specifically to book an appointment in the SSS Iligan Branch like in 1. LOGIN to your Facebook Account. And then to Search the:@sssiligancounter1 for COUNTER 1.

He did. Only to find out that he couldn’t enter the dragon. I mean he couldn’t readily enter. So he did a TVH. As in “trying very hard.” He was able to enter at 11:30 in the evening or almost midnight.

So somebody commented on the air that the SSS had let technology control it. And maybe, there’s some truth in it. Like many of us too. We are controlled by gadgets; As many of the hours are spent scrolling and scrolling.

Anyway, I did that too, sometime at the height of the Covid, in 2020. And what did I find?

I found out that the SSS had refunded 2 months of the loan payments. As in “ayuda” during that time! A pleasant surprise. From a System that had received so much flak.

There were also complaints of long lines at the entrance of the office, With some even getting there as early as dawn. Just so they could line up and be admitted to the insides of said office.

These days though, I have seen that the long lines have stopped. There are only less than ten people there who can be seen waiting for their turns to enter inside. With the guards there taking it easy now.

Although we can still hear of complaints on air or in social media about the System which isn’t allegedly very systematic at all.

Anyway. we heard too that this SSS did not allow some of its funds to enter into the Maharlika Investment Fund. Which fund is the “baby” of PBBM! And that’s commendable. Especially for the members. They can then heave collective sighs of relief.

And let’s accept it. Even if PBBM had won “convincingly” in 2022, still we are living with “doubt” in our minds. Like we have just celebrated the so-called EDSA Bloodless Revolution. And we knew what happened with the Marcos family 38 years ago. Although they had made a return of the comeback.

Regarding doubt though, I remember this comment from a person who had struggled with “doubt.” Because for more than two years he had lived with it. He had wondered whether his cactus was living or dead!

I think we had strayed. Back to SSS. I am now convinced that our relationship with the System can be summarized in the saying: “With all thy faults, I love thee still.”

Email: nora.lady@yahoo.com or contact 09277983167|09073384874