December 16, 2015
Dear President Aquino,
I write to respectfully request your support to the Social Security System (SSS) pension increase bill recently approved in both Houses of Congress. 
I filed the bill as early as 2011 with no other intention than to alleviate the plight of our senior citizens who have long been deprived the increase in pension despite the requirement of regular review as stipulated in Republic Act 8282 or SSS Law Section 4 (b) (2) that requires “a valuation report on the SSS benefit program every four (4) years, or more frequently as may be necessary, to undertake the necessary actuarial studies and calculations concerning increases in benefits taking into account inflation and the financial stability of the SSS, and to provide for feasible increases in benefits every four (4) years, including the addition of new ones…”
The intimation by some quarters that the increase will cause the immediate bankruptcy has been dispelled by the admission of the SSS in many congressional hearings that the P2,000 pension increase will shorten its fund life to 2029. As per our research, the fund life of United Kingdom social security system is only up to year 2027 while that of Canada is only up to year 2022.
Should the pension increase become a law, I commit as many other advocates for pension increase commit that we will work in the next five years to help strengthen the funding of SSSeven in my private capacity.
One very feasible remedy is to increase the efficiency of SSS collection which as per our research hovers at 35-45%. A 20% increase in SSS collection rate efficiency I believe will not be as debiliating as our colleages in SSS imply.
I would be more than willing to send to your office the details of our research on SSS pension. I do not usually ask for favours from the President but the dire situation of our senior citizens has led me to humbly and respectfully request for your support.
Thank you.
Truly yours,
Rep. Neri Colmenares
pedrolualhati 