Finance Secretary and Social Security Commission (SSC) ex-officio Chair Ralph G. Recto has directed the Social Security System (SSS) to roll out the pension increase and new benefit cards aimed at providing greater benefits and faster services to SSS pensioners and members.
“Ang mga programang ito ang patunay ng totoong serbisyong publiko: Hindi dagdag abala, kundi dagdag ginhawa. Hindi lumang sistema, kundi makabagong solusyon. Hindi mabagal na proseso, kundi mabilis na aksyon,” Secretary Recto said in his message.
In line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s commitment to protect Filipino workers’ welfare and under Secretary Recto’s directive, the SSS is implementing the Pension Reform of 2025 starting this month—its first-ever annual pension increase rolled out over a three-year period.
It was announced by the President last month and approved by the SSS Board, chaired by Secretary Recto.
Specifically, the program grants retirement and disability pensioners a 10% annual increase, while death or survivor pensioners will receive a 5% raise. These annual pension increases will continue every September until 2027.
The program is expected to alleviate around 3.8 million Filipino families from poverty and boost economic growth through increased consumer spending.
To complement this landmark program, the SSS launched the MySSS Card, which will help members receive their newly increased pension benefits faster and easier.
“Isang swipe mo lang, marami nang pakinabang. Gamit po ito, diretso at mabilis nang makukuha ng mga SSS members ang kanilang benefits, loans, at pensyon. Magagamit niyo rin po ito sa pamimili, pagbabayad ng pamasahe, at pang araw-araw na gastusin,” the Finance Chief said.
The MySSS Card serves as the new official ID of the SSS, replacing the Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) card.
It is equipped with security features like the EMV (Europay, Mastercard, and Visa) chip and uses the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) eVerify and biometrics authentication to check members’ identities.
The MySSS Card will be issued through partner banks (i.e. RCBC, AUB, China Bank, and UnionBank) so it can serve as a bank account for benefits and a loan disbursement channel. It can also be used to make in-store or online payments.
All SSS members, pensioners, beneficiaries, claimants, and representative payees are eligible to apply for the MySSS Card as long as they carry an active social security number, a My.SSS Portal account with updated contact information, and are Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) or PhilSys registered.
As an added bonus, Secretary Recto also announced that the President is set to launch the Alagang SSS Discount Card, which is a health and wellness initiative for SSS members aged 60 years old and above.
In partnership with Unilab, Inc., the card provides special discounts on Unilab products available in all Watsons, Southstar, and Mercury Drugstores nationwide, making healthcare more affordable for senior members. The program is part of SSS’s commitment to caring for its members beyond social security.
“Lahat ng ito ay ginagawa natin para masigurong may dagdag saya at dagdag ginhawa ang bawat manggagawang Pilipino. Dahil sabi nga ng ating Pangulo, you deserve nothing but our love, our care, and our protection,” Secretary Recto said.
The Finance Chief also commended the SSS and its team members for their dedication to making these programs possible and delivered in a timely manner.
