TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Sept 18 (PIA)—Around 88 employers here in Tagbilaran City alone could be facing lawsuits for apparent failure to enroll their workers as members in the Pag-IBIG fund.
And if proven guilty, they could be forced to pay for the arrears in employee contribution shares in the minimum of P100 per month per employee since 2010, a penalty and possible imprisonment upon determination of culpability by a court.
As to the list, Pag-IBIG said the agency’s legal department has it, for preparation and building up of cases.
Membership in the Pag-IBIG Fund has become mandatory to all employees workers, professionals and companies who are compulsorily covered by the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System, including men in the uniformed service: Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Philippine National Police; overseas Filipino workers and even citizens hired by foreign employers, according to Leonardo Cirujales.
Cirujales, Pag-IBIG information officer, also said the signing of the law, Republic Act 9679, opens up provisions for Pag-IBIG voluntary memberships to non-working spouses of Pag-IBIG members, leaders and members of religious groups, public officials and employees not covered by the GSIS, naturalized Filipinos or those who intend to be members.
The law also makes it mandatory for workers earning P1500 and below to pay at least 1% of their monthly compensation as their employee share while the employer pays 2% of the compensation as its share, Cirujales said over at Kapihan sa PIA.
For employees earning over P1500, the mandatory contribution share is 2% while the employers also put in the same amount, he added.
For the monthly savings which the employees and employer puts up, it also earns dividends, which accumulates earning the member an accumulated value, now termed Provident Savings Fund, can be withdrawn after 20 years of membership.
This savings fund can be a basis for one to avail of short term loans in the form of multi-purpose loan to help finance members’ immediate medical, educational, livelihood, home repairs, appliances, furniture or any need, or calamity loan for members in disaster stricken areas as declared by any competent government body.
This, when not put up by the employer, denies the worker the chances to earn a provident fund for his emergency use of for his future, the Pag-IBIG Fund officer bemoaned.
More than that, a provident savings fund can also be used to avail of a housing program, a housing financing program that allows a member to choose from a menu of avail-ment for house and lot provisions, he noted. (PIABohol/RAC)
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