Filipino Expats Qatar

Press Release: 11 July 2008
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

SSS OFW-members oppose Neri’s appointment to SSS

“Mr. Neri may have all the needed qualifications, but his public service record has already been tainted and doubted, this made him unqualified into the eyes of SSS-members” thus, said today by an alliance of overseas Filipino workers’ organizations in the Middle East on the appointment of Romulo Neri as SSS chief with effect on August 2008.

“We may agree with Mr. Neri that he has all the qualifications to run the Social Security System, but we have all the doubts if he can secure and manage the funds well and would render better services to all SSS-members including OFW-members and their dependents,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante ME regional coordinator.

The Migrante leader noted the involvement of Mr. Neri into the ZTE broadband controversial anomalous deals which even at present Mr. Neri failed to clear his name and reputation.

“The billions SSS-contributions from ordinary people, mostly workers including OFW-members cannot entrust their hard-earned money to a person like Mr. Neri whose reputation and integrity has been doubted by SSS-members and the general public as well,” Monterona added.

According to Monterona, there are now more than a million OFW-members to the SSS from barely 456,965 on December 2004.

“Based on our conservative estimates, OFW-members to the SSS would now reached from 25% to 35% of the total numbers of OFWs in the countries where there are established SSS offices,” Monterona added.

Migrante’s Monterona noted that majority of OFW membership came in from Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Brunei and Kuwait.

Monterona said collections from OFW-members have grown
immensely from only P95 million (US$2 million) in 1999 to P765 million (US$14million) in 2004. “This represents an eight-fold increase” he added.

Monterona citing data from SSS, the dollar component of OFW collections during 2004 reached to US$9 million, which is US$1.2 million or 16 percent higher than in 2003.

Monterona said that the bulk of OFW payments reached at 65% of the total P500 million (US$9 million) were channeled through SSS-accredited collecting agents abroad, and the he rest were local collections sent by OFW-members via mail, paid by family members or relatives in the Philippines or deducted from their bank account under the Auto Debit Arrangement.

“With such huge amount of payments coming from SSS OFW-members and to be entrusted to a person with tainted public service record and reputation is causing alarm and much concern to SSS OFW-members,” Monterona averred.

Monterona said that several SSS OFW-members coming from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE have called their attention to speak and issued a statement opposing Mr. Neri’s appointment as SSS chief.

“As SSS-member myself like other OFW-members, our foremost concern is the security of the contributions we have made; wherein previous administrations have misused and mismanaged the SSS funds,” Monterona added.

Monterona said that if Neri’s appointment would mean the implementation of compulsory OFW-membership to SSS, Migrante, OFWs and families would vow to oppose it.

“With Mr. Neri’s appointment as SSS chief, OFW-members and dependents will be more vigilant and will oppose to whatever anti-SSS members and anti-OFW policies and programs he and his Boss in Malacanang have in mind including future plans to use SSS funds for 2010 elections.” Monterona said.

For reference:
John Leonard Monterona
Migrante Middle East regional coordinator
Mobile No.: 00966 564 97 8012