BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Six commercial establishments in Bacolod City were given 15 days to answer the show cause orders issued against them by the Social Security System (SSS) Bacolod East Branch, for remission in paying the contributions of their employees.
Issued yesterday with show cause orders were a cake shop, hardware store, an office establishment, a trucking service, a motor emission center and a spa.
SSS records show that about 1,311 employers in Bacolod City and neighboring towns of Don Salvador Benedicto and Murcia have missed payments of contributions, with the total amount of delinquency pegged at P81 million as of June this year.
At present, SSS-Western Visayas has 177 pending cases related to non-remittance, underpayment, and under reporting of contributions, its legal chief, Atty. Eduard Dorsey Caratao, said.
Under Republic Act No. 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018, Caratao explained it is a criminal liability if employers engage in non-contributions or non-registration, with penalties from six months to 12 years imprisonment, if proven guilty of the offense.
While he reported that they have secured five convictions, Caratao said they would prefer to optimize settlements most of the time, if possible.
Leilani Benedian, SSS Vice President for Visayas West 1, said that the operation is part of the SSS-Bacolod’s Run After Contributions Evaders Campaign (RACE), that aims to remind employers of their obligations to their employees.
During the serving of show cause orders, Benedian said they also took advantage of the opportunity to present their programs and options where delinquent establishments can choose from options on how to settle their obligations.*
