Outreach program from the Philippines coming to Neepawa
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, September 20, 2016
By Tony Eu
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
On Saturday, Oct. 1 and Sunday, Oct. 2, the Friends of Filipino Immigrants in Manitoba (FFIM) is hosting an outreach program for two government agencies from the Philippines: Social Security Services (SSS) and Pag Ibig.
“Both of these [agencies] are provident [pension] funds,” said Rey Sangalang, the spokesperson for the FFIM.
“SSS is for private employees,” said Sangalang. “[It] serves as a fund where you can get a personal, educational or calamity loan, maternity and they also give burial and pension. The most important thing is pension, which is good for the people here in Neepawa,” he explained. He further elaborated, saying, “ All the Filipino employees used to be members of the SSS.”
The Pag Ibig, though also a pension fund, is a little bit different.
“Pag Ibig is… primarily for housing, so the Filipinos give a share and then, automatically, the employer that they used to work with also gives a share,” Sangalang said. “The only difference [between SSS and Pag Ibig] is that in the Pag Ibig, you can get the whole amount of your contribution, including interest, when you leave” he continued, “while in the SSS you cannot.”
Sangalang made a comparison of the SSS to the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP), saying, “The CPP is the SSS.”
The reason that the Pag Ibig and the SSS are doing this outreach program is because many of the Filipino workers in the community are not yet Canadian citizens. A large number of them are simply contract workers and it is mandatory for contract workers to contribute to the Pag Ibig, as well as to Phil health (Philippine Health). For any permanent resident card holders or anyone with a Canadian citizenship contribution is optional.
The SSS isn’t mandatory, but any Filipino, including the ones who have Canadian citizenship, can contribute and receive a pension.
“The pension is quite good, depending on your contribution and the length of your membership,” Sangalang noted. “Once you reach the age of 60 you can retire, you get an 18-month lump sum, after 18 months you get it on a monthly basis,” he went on to explain.
In summary, Sangalang remarked that, “The SSS is for private employees and the Pag Ibig is for everybody, whether you’re in government or in private, but contract workers have to contribute.”
The Pag Ibig provides fund to help with the housing backlog in the Philippines.
As for who can attend the event, it’s geared heavily towards those of Filipino heritage, though it is open to anyone who wants to attend.
As Sangalang puts it, “As long as you are Filipino, whether you’re a former Filipino, it’s for everybody. Although, we do welcome other nationalities if they want to learn from us.”
The event will be starting at 4 p.m. on Saturday and will run until 8 p.m. On Sunday, it starts at 8 am and runs until 3 p.m.
As for what will be happening at the event, Sangalang explained, “It will be a forum first, for the first half hour and then after that, it’s going to be on a one-on-one basis, because everybody has a different situation.”
The forum will be for anyone in attendance to ask questions about anything they want to know and to listen to questions others may have that could be useful, such as how to apply for the benefits. As the second half is one-on-one and there’s a limited amount of both staff and time, accommodation for the one-on-one part of the event is on a first come first serve basis.
Sangalang emphasized the importance of this event and being able to help the Filipinos in the area, saying, “A lot of the Filipinos here are still connected with their family back in the Philippines. Most of them do come here for the financial aspect, they are helping the Filipinos.”
“An average household in the Philippines is about six members. So, if you are helping one Filipino here, you are helping six members back home,” Sangalang stressed.
This event isn’t only for first generation immigrants or contract workers who were already involved in these organizations back in the Philippines. It’s also for any Filipinos born here in Canada who might want to get involved.
“Those who are born here may not be a member of the Pag Ibig or SSS, but they can join,” remarked Sangalang, “The only qualification is that you are of Filipino roots. That’s all.”
As a final comment, Sangalang said, “I’m just encouraging everybody to come and still know their benefits, because it’s going to be very helpful for them.”
