By Charmaine A. Tadalan
Reporter
A BILL establishing a pension and social security benefit scheme for agricultural workers has been filed at the House of Representatives.
House Bill No. 8866, or the proposed National Farmers and Fisher Folk Social Security and Pension Act, mandates the government to subsidize the creation of the scheme, which will cover the full Social Security System (SSS) premium of qualified workers for 10 years.
Senior Citizen party-list Rep. Milagros Aquino-Magsaysay, who filed the bill, said in the explanatory note: “Workers also in agriculture sector are least likely to be covered by social security benefits and have a pension when they retire, mainly because of their low, seasonal, and often volatile wages.”
The bill said an agricultural worker shall be registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and must be 18-59 years old to be eligible to receive benefits.
Aside from their pensions, beneficiaries will also be entitled to other benefit packages provided under the Social Security Employees Compensation Programs.
These include medical services, appliances and supplies, rehabilitation services, and income cash benefits for temporary and permanent total disability, among others.
If enacted, the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, shall serve as the main implementing agency.
PCIC will be mandated to coordinate with SSS, manage RSBSA registration, and coordinate with SSS and monitor implementation of the scheme upon promulgation of the implementing rules and regulations.
