A total of 243 employees in the fifth and sixth districts of Pangasinan have benefited from the Social Security System’s (SSS) Run After Contribution Evaders (RACE) program from January to May this year.

In an interview on Wednesday, SSS Urdaneta branch head Christopher Servas said the employees work for 37 employers who were flagged under the RACE campaign for violations such as non-registration and non-remittance of contributions.

Thirty six of these employers are in the retail industry and some are micro, small, and medium enterprises, and one corporation, in the towns of Rosales, Asingan, San Manuel, and Urdaneta City.

Of the total number, 11 were referred to the SSS legal department for a final demand letter, while eight of them have settled their delinquency in contributions amounting to PHP360,158.

“The employees were informed of their contribution and ensured that their contributions are remitted so they would be able to avail of the benefits from the SSS,” Servas said.

He added that the SSS continues to guide employers toward compliance, offering options such as installment payment schemes.

Non-compliant employers are given 15 days from receipt of written notice to settle their obligations under Republic Act 11199, or the Social Security Act of 2018, to avoid penalties ranging from PHP5,000 to PHP20,000 or imprisonment of six to 12 years.

“We also help the employers to comply with their obligation to their employees since we know that businesses sometimes encounter problems,” he said.

The SSS is currently working to recover a total delinquency amount of approximately PHP3.1 million, including penalties.

The SSS Urdaneta branch covers Urdaneta City and the towns of Asingan, Binalonan, Pozorrubio, Rosales, San Nicolas, San Quintin, Sta. Maria, Tayug, Umingan, and Villasis.

The RACE program targets employers who fail to fulfill their legal obligations to remit SSS contributions of their employees. (PNA)