Paying for SSS Contributions

this is just to indicate where to pay your SSS contributions or your loans

SSS Offices
Banks
Bayad Center

i suggest you pay at the SSS Offices.  your payments get posted faster and there are less mistakes.
bring your SSS ID to facilitate the process

if you are a voluntary or self-employed member, use an RS-5 for contribution payments

RS-5.  Payment form for voluntary and self-employed

use R-6 for loan payments  (actually, it is used for miscellaneous payments)

R6 - payment form for miscellaneous payments

just a tip

you can go to the SSS website for the downloadable forms.
Click here for the SSS downloadable forms section

just remember if you download forms, you need to have the correct number of copies when you pay so that you have no undue waiting time.

A Sayans get-together, last weekend of July

Twas a rainy Sunday.  and i woke up to late to catch Sunday mass on TV - because despite 2 alarms, i woke up 7:15 am.  Time to take medications, you see but the Eucharist is at 6am.

i was also too late to catch the Tai Chi exercises at the University of the Philippines - behind the Adm building, or as i like to call it, behind the Oblation.  Also, since it was raining a bit, they would probably relocate.  but see, they start at 7 and end about 9 and there i was past 7, just waking up.  so, i texted my classmate and doctor to tell her i couldnt possibly make it.

then i see this text from Alice - i am sure you know her by now - about lunch at Lito's since Jimmy was in town.  I missed Jimmy the last time he was here and i hadnt seen him for the longest time.

so Alice says she and Manny can give me a ride, and that was great, because i no longer want to drive except for an emergency.  Near lunch, Tylette Moreno texts me and says Alice has asked her to swing by for me, which she does, because she is a lovely woman.  So i ride with Tylette.

here we are - 

the ladies standing: me, peggy, alice, beth : the guys: jimmy, manny, lito, rosel, paeng

Min. our beautiful and gracious hostess.

Lito:  our poging classmate and host, Min is behind

and me with a huge Amorsolo painting of the Santos family

we had a wonderful time.  The Sibayans are the greatest hosts.  i am waiting for my other pics. Tylette will be there.

the larger group

 Standing: Lito (our host), Marianne (Paeng's daughter), Li-Anne (Paeng's wife), Tylette, Alice, me, Peggy, Beth, Tess (wife of Rosel), Min (our hostess with the most-est)
Sitting:  Charlie (Peggy's husband), Jimmy, Paeng, Rosel, Manny

Money, money, money - lots of money - part 1

a refrain all of us are familiar with ....

and we want - and therefore try to plan,  to have some - at all times
some call it by some fancy name like real estate planning, retirement plans, and what have you
others do it by judicious cash flow management

regular people just call it saving......and to use Elizabeth Barrett Browning's immortal words from a favorite poem that i know by heart, let me count the ways

one must have some cash stored away in a bank.  why? because cash speaks in any emergency.
others have credit cards.  this is good too, if you know how to use a credit card, keeping track of the interest. they add up.  besides, this sort of money usually is kept for the here-and-now.

money for later is usually kept in some investment instrument - such as money deposits. it is hard to save money.  really. unless your income is up there in the so-many-digits per month.  if you are earning 7 digits a month (that is a minimum of 1,000,000/month), then perhaps saving is easy but otherwise, it may not be that easy.

then there are retirement plans, money for the future normally.  there are 2 government sponsored ones here in the Philippines - SSS and GSIS.  the mechanics are fairly the same, except that SSS allows you to continue your contributions even if you are no longer employed in the private sector.  Contributions are then made under "voluntary membership".  SSS also has coverage under "self-employed". i suggest that people provide and cover themselves under the this one.   There is no reason for anyone not to be covered.  Choose to provide for yourself and your family.  i am going to find out how one may be covered under self-employed, especially for the informal sector.  everyone needs to have a pension.

of course rich people dont call it a pension, it is merely a stream of monthly cash flows from sources such as investments, rental real estate properties, money market arrangements, and other financial instruments.

Kaya. Hwag kalimutan ang sarili sa pakikibaka sa panahon.

i ask every cab driver if he is paying his SSS. Young or old, it is a standard question for me.  why cab drivers? i usually have their attention, particularly because of the traffic everywhere.

i take it upon myself to ask because i once saw an old lady, her face ravaged by age but bearing traces of the beauty she was before, crying because she thought she had at least her SSS pension to help her with the hard times she was facing and it turned out that she didnt qualify for one.  She didnt have enough contributions.

Currently, SSS requires at least a 120 months of contributions to qualify for a pension. The minimum pension is 1,200.00.  An old friend of mine - who shall remain nameless in this blog - says this amount is not good for anything. He says this is not even enough to pay his mom's driver.  there speaks a man with money, well, he's from Ateneo, so i will leave you with your own conclusions.

i tell the drivers that amount is indeed the minimum pension, and it is small. this is the pension for those who pay 104.00 for a 1,000.00 MSC.  MSC in SSS parlance, or if you prefer, hiphop speak is the monthly salary credit.  so i encourage them to up their contributions so that their pension will have some meaning.

what do i suggest?  obviously, as high as one can.  the maximum if possible.  the current MSC ceiling for SSS is 15,000.00.  the contribution to be paid is 1,560.00.  so to save up for this amount, a person needs to save only 52.00 pesos a day.  reachable.  about the cost of one (1) 2 liter coke zero.

this post would be incomplete if i did not specify the deadline.  to decongest queue lines, SSS management has decided to have different deadlines depending on the last digit of the member's SSS number.  The circular is posted below for your quick reference.  The revised deadlines are now in effect.

****************************************

CIRCULAR NO. 2011-003 TO: ALL EMPLOYERS, SELF-EMPLOYED AND VOLUNTARY MEMBERS   SUBJECT: REVISED PAYMENT DEADLINES FOR CONTRIBUTIONS AND MEMBER LOANS Pursuant to Social Security Commission Resolution No. 345-s.2011 dated March 16, 2011, the deadline for the payment of contributions and member loans of employers, self-employed and voluntary members (except OFW members) is hereby revised as follows: 1. For regular employers (ERs): Existing Revised 10th day of the month following the applicable month. If 10th digit of the 13-digit ER number ends in: Payment Deadline (following the applicable month) 1 or 2 10th day of the month 3 or 4 15th day of the month 5 or 6 20th day of the month 7 or 8 25th day of the month 9 or 0 Last day of the month For instance, if the ER ID number is 03-1234567-8-012, the payment deadline for both contributions and member loans for the applicable month of April shall be on May 25.            2. For household employers (HRs), self-employed and voluntary members (except OFW-members): Existing Revised For Contributions: 20th day of the month following the applicable month or quarter (for SE/VM), as the case may be For Loans: 10th day of the month following the applicable month If 10th (last) digit of the SS number ends in: Payment Deadline [following the applicable month or quarter (for SE/VM), as the case may be] 1 or 2 10th day of the month 3 or 4 15th day of the month 5 or 6 20th day of the month 7 or 8 25th day of the month 9 or 0 Last day of the month           For instance, if the SS number is 01-2345678-9, the payment deadline for both contributions and            member loans for the applicable month of April shall be on May 30.           3.  In case the payment deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, payment may be made on the        next working day. Otherwise, penalties shall be imposed on late contribution and member loan           payments of employers and late member loan payments of self-employed and voluntary members;         while late contribution payments of self-employed and voluntary members shall be applied prospectively       4. The frequency of payment shall remain on a monthly basis for regular and household ERs, and on a       monthly or quarterly basis for self-employed and voluntary members. Payments on a quarterly basis        shall mean payments for all three months ending in a calendar quarter (i.e. March, June, September,        and December).      5. The payment schedule for OFW-members shall remain as stated under Circular 32-P dated 15        November 2006.        This Circular shall take effect starting applicable month of June 2011 in case of monthly payment or applicable quarter ending June 30, 2011 in case of quarterly payment and shall supersede the provisions on payment deadlines of Circular No. 13-P dated December 22, 2003 and Circular No. 2008-003 dated June 10, 2008. ******************************************

so dont forget, plan for a little money at a time when you may not have as much.

and put a little money away in the bank.  to tide you over when your pension is a little late.

i will say this for SSS, SSS has never been late with pension deposits to your account.

Kudos to SSS for that.  

The Elephants - last weekend of July

i have been mentioning my elephants so i thought i'd give you a peek at my collection.  i started collecting in grade school and am still collecting to this day. 

ELEPHANTS

pink elephant wooden pencil holder, salt-&-pepper elephants, & perpetual thai elephant calendar

lockets, pendants, necklaces, buttons, pins, clips - all elephants

a candle holder gilded pink elephant, a tall blue elephant, a papemelroti elephant glassholder, odds-and-ends

 the elephants in the grey frame is new.  found it in ebay.  the tall blue elephant was given to me by Juancho, we were officemates at STI.

elephants galore

the gray elephant in the white box - beside the blue rhino and elephant - was made especially for me by an etsy vendor from Korea.  Sui?  will check my etsy.

Horace Templo gave me that elephant behind the white elephants.  it is crystal and has yellow ears. 

Jerry O. gave me the wooden elephant with the shocking pink "matt" on his back just this July.
Dale gave me the elephant on the saucer-with-depth.  and i got the elephant beside it from papelmeroti - probably a long time ago. the PE in papemelroti stands for Peggy,  who is from Sayans, and my classmate.

my elder brother left his Beta Epsilon sticker in the glass. So no, it isnt an elephant but it is difficult to remove so i will let attrition take care of it. 

my 2 elephant pillows, my thai elephant bag - given by Alice, my elephant cd carrier in my elephant decorated box

do you see my brass elephant bell?  i dont remember where i bought it. the grey flat like elephant is actually a soap dish and the oldest elephant is the one that my lola Petra owned - the large right-most elephant on the first tier.  the collection is valuable only for me.

A Rainy Friday Night

it was rainy.  but we had reservations at Barbara's so we proceeded there.

Manny, Alice, and I were together in their car but the rest of our party went straight there.  Our party got a tad lost, but only because we couldnt stick to my directions since we had paused in the wrong lane and Alice said that Manny had once gotten a ticket for not following....  so 

the food, as Jerry O puts it, was regular. it was okay, and was nothing spectacular. although it seemed the food was tons better when my sister had her wedding reception there. i enjoyed 2 desserts - salad greens and the coffee-sago-and-gulaman-concoction.

Musing

but their entertainment was very good.  we enjoyed the Filipiniana dance, the muslim dance, the pandango sa ilaw, and the tiniklang to just name three. the dancers were graceful and agile, and those who tried were great sports.  i was surprised not to find more foreigners.

and here is the party:  Alice and I are sitting down, then Dale, Manny, Rey?, Hans at Barbara's

The restaurant closed early and i was hankering for coffee, so Adel, not in photo - said we could try some other shop.  We went to three cafes before we hit Starbucks, who was still open for business.

they ate again, but i just had a huge cup of coffee,  probably one of the reasons i stayed up til 3am when i got home.  the other reason was i had to finish my prayers for the day.  twas a little late, but i finished them

me and Dale, and the Elephant

just me and the elephant

Choices - 1

There will probably be a series of posts on Choices.

i hope some of them will be funny, and not all serious.  

i choose to find laughter in this world, and better, to help spread laughter.

 Rachel Olsen writes these words in my crosswalk email

• We always have a choice between hope and despair - no matter what circumstance we are in.

• We always have a choice between fear and faith - no matter how bleak things look.

• And we always have the choice to give and serve - no matter how little we own.

and i agree. we choose. part of God's Will for us. To give us that choice

it is not always easy to choose rightly, and many times we may not choose what is best for us. or sometimes the hurts in our hearts take over the goodness.
  

pray with me that we may choose what is best in most times.

also, today is my lola - Petra Galvez Ongchangco's biological birthday. 
she used to scold me at lunch because i couldnt hear her (she was right beside me) call us to lunch as i was reading on the dining table. 
we ate lunch at the kitchen table in her home at Lardizabal, Sampaloc.

contentment

... i hope that i should be as lucky

i found this picture from a lady who loves cats;  you can click here ----- Get out of there Cat tumbler account

i cannot have pets anymore .... but if you want to see contentment - click to see contented cat

Benjamin DL Alviar

Today is Benjamin DL Alviar's 64th birthday.  Happy Birthday!

I met him as one of Ed Sarte's SRI Consultants at AIB under then Pres. ARI.

Thinking about SSS, i wonder if he has applied for his retirement benefits.

Ed mentioned he had migrated to the US, but he can still apply for his benefits, if he hasnt.

He probably qualifies for a retirement pension.

Thoughts on Death - 1

i just found out that my friend's Dad passed away.   Condolences to Dode's Dad.

So, my thoughts have turned to this one sure thing in life...... death.

Death has traditionally been represented as a figure with a skull looking out from a hooded black cloak, carrying a huge sickle. i like to think of Death as a Brad Pitt Joe Black.  handsome, gorgeous, and clever.
here's a quick link to Brad Pitt as Joe Black.  you may not care about it, but i do.  *sigh*
pics of brad pitt as joe black 

my friends know my fascination with pitt

if you are male, you might want to consider Neil Gaiman's representative figure of Death.  One of the Endless, Death is represented as a goth girl.  She is sexy, gorgeous, and vivacious. You may want to click here for an image of Gaiman's Death

a better someone to accompany one would be Jesus Christ, our Lord.  but i am getting ahead of myself.

Death should be easy.  And i pray that everyone who reads this post would have an easy death.  a quick pass from physical existence to something else. 

So now, are you ready for Death?

Got your Will done?  For most of us regular people, a holographic will might suffice - a will written in the testator's hand, your hand, if you will, and must specifically establish the intent - to will the property. You have to date it and sign it properly and make sure all pages bear your siggy.

If your relatives arent greedy, or you can make sure they arent by having a copy of will to friends so they can watch your relatives squabble (believe me, money changes people).  Make sure your will can be found, and that a copy of the will with another. 

Are your insurances in order?   i suggest having an envelope and having your insurance policies in there.
i suggest that you include your SSS materials there.  Put your SSS-ID, the UMID one, if you have it, or the biometric one.  Or at least a copy of the SSS-ID.  This would ensure your beneficiaries would know your SSS No (number) at least.  A copy of your birth certificate would be a good idea too.  If you are married, you can include your marriage contract there.  You can ask NSO for a copy --> here's the click link again if you need it    NSO services

If you are a pensioner, i would suggest keeping a record of your bank account details.

Government offices, such as SSS, would always require proof of who and what.
So your beneficiaries (who else would be interested but them?) need a death certificate, and they need to prove who they are so NSO issued birth certificates are needed.  

You might want to include in this folder, any funeral preparations you made.  A plot or columbary, a casket or urn you have in storage somewhere, a funeral plan such as those offered by Loyola or other Funeral Agencies.

And make sure you make your wishes clear.  That is, you want to be cremated, not interred.  Your wishes may not always be followed so the will is important. Also, making plans ahead of time will ensure your wishes are carried.Also, you might want a copy of the Will in this folder/envelope.

A safety deposit box - so only your trusted executor(s) can open it - is a good place for jewelry - so someone cannot just find them and grab them (yes, people can be avaricious) and your will and other documentation.

i have personally implemented quite a few of these.  i am still looking for a "safe" bank, location-wise, for the safety deposit box.  i suppose i watch too much tv, like "Leverage".

and a last point,
enjoy each day, no matter what life throws at you.
find the blessing. find the joy. And the pain and sorrow?  well, just bite the bullet and it will passs

and oh.  i am not a lawyer, but i have lawyer friends, and necessity made me research things

Quick Art Rec

i love Art.  For those of you in the UK, i found this lady through the blog of one of my favorite word spinners,  Neil Gaiman.  Neil is the creator of the Dream King, the Sandman from Vertigo.


Sue Blackwell is the artist and here's the link to her site.  I got a card, which was the only thing i could afford to cross the seas (shipping took forever, but it arrived okay)

They are beautiful.  Click to visit her site ==>  Sue Blackwell art - her website

The SSS Number is unique

I was reading the SSS facebook -  click on this link if you want to go there  SSS facebook page

Someone was asking about getting a new SSS Number because he lost his number.  NO. No. no.

The SSS Number is unique to an individual and each individual must have only one (1)  SSS Number.  IF you have more than one (1), then you have to resolve this to one number.  Check out the discussion at the bottom of this post for this concern.

So if you no longer remember your number, all you have to do is go to any SSS Office with legal, incontestable proof that you are who you say you are, and SSS will give you your number to use.  With your SSS number you can do the things  you need to do at any SSS Office.  Without your SSS Number, you cannot apply for any benefits, remember that.

Incontestable proof?  Easy.  Get your NSO birth certificate and use that as proof.

- you can click this link --> NSO Online services     or this link  NSO Citizen services  

The birth certificate is a primary document so it can stand alone.  Bring an ID to prove your face matches your name.  The following will do:  Driver's license, Office ID, Postal ID, even a credit card - for as long as it carries your face.  You can use an Alien card, if you are no longer a citizen, or if you are an immigrant, you can use that card as well and you can use your passport!

SSS must be careful about giving out SSS Numbers and you need to be careful when you give out your SSS Number.  Do not give it out in any public forum.  So many people just throw their SSS numbers around without thinking of identity theft.

Identity theft is real. It is not just a Sandra Bullock movie.

If you have more than one SSS number, you need to have this consolidated into one.  Go to the nearest SSS office and say that in your youth you had made a mistake and had gotten more than one ID.  SSS will ask you to prove that you own the other SSS numbers so be sure you have proof.  Proof could be affidavits from the offices where you used those numbers.

Anything to do with the SSS Number usually requires a personal visit.  Tedious, but safe.  Safe is good for you.

Now, for the last point in this post, and a fine point in this blog.
Remember, fix errors as soon as you know.  Do not wait for tomorrow.

There is only today.

Weekend 20-22 Thoughts

I had a chance to chat with the wife of a friend last week.

Her husband is Beta Epsilon frat brother Junette Cruz.  i do not remember his batch.  If you are a Betan aged 50 and above, you have probably been to the house - where i live - as i live in ye olde homestead in Kamias.  Junette (Juanito is his real name) remembers the house and has pointed out the same to his wife, Marlyn.

Junette is currently undergoing dialysis.  Dialysis costs about 4K plus per session, and he has 2 sessions per week.  Diabetes caused his ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease).   Hemo-Dialysis is NOT easy, and it is expensive.  Money doesnt flow the way it used to flow....

Did you guys know that Junette has a special child?  Well, now you know.  

If there are any Betans or other friends out there with money to burn, you might want to say hello, or better yet, send him some special loving through a deposit to his bank account.  Every bit helps. Do you know that 300 will pay for transportation costs?  I have his cell phone and his wife's cell phone number.... so if you want to know, just comment or send email through this post. 

**************

When one is sick, and boy do i know this well, one feels things a lot more deeply.  Hurts are deeper,  Pains are sharper, but a bonus, Joys are .... more ebullient and ecstatic.  And one feels lonelier.  A little kind word to say hello goes a long way.  Do you have a sibling who is sick?  Have you asked if he or she is still alive and well?  No?  Ah, then at least you have shown your true colors.

Or are you envious and jealous because this sibling seems to have money you dont have so you dont care?  Do you wish the person dead so you might inherit?  Hahaha.  Fret not, you are probably not in the will anyway. 

******************

In a strange way, there was communication with Edgar H. Sarte last weekend.  i found several letters that he wrote to me while i was at STI.  Some of them, if you will believe it, discussed/talked about STI policy.  i always did ask him when there were things i didnt agree with;  i would tell him why i and he would return the favor.  Such were the letters.  I did found 2 pictures of Angelo, he would send them sometimes as Angelo is my godson. My, he was so very young then.  Now, from Vilma's FB, he is grown into a handsome young man.  i wonder what Ed wants to say .....  i have seen him several times in my dreams so maybe one of these nights he will make an appearance.

*******************

i did go and visit the Pharisees.  And although i know i am healed, i fear i must visit the Pharisees some more.

my brilliant nephro, my Sayans high school classmate, Dr. Benita S. Padilla - who still heads the NGO Kidney Friends - she is connected with NKTI (National Kidney and Transplant Institute), has changed my meds again.. If she had been my doc from the beginning, i may not have needed the transplant in 2008.

Still, God has a plan and i abide by His Will.

**********************

and oh, i re-arranged my elephant collection.  havent taken the pics yet ...
just to fascinate you, i have elephant buttons, elephant hair clips, an elephant push pin, an elephant pair of salt-and-pepper containers, an elephant shaped pillow, an elephant candle holder, an elephant eraser,  elephant paper clips, an elephant picture frame, and elephant odds-and-ends.  :-)

Abueva pieces at the Arts n Friends show

The Art Book

i am having the Art Book i bought signed by Tito Billy.

The bas-relief is made by Abueva.  The tri-dimensional figure in front is made by a Canadian artist.

the photo is rather small.  would you believe this is a carabao?

though not clearly seen in this print.  this figure has a "verdigris" patina.  very beautiful.

The Trinity Carabao. Maybe i should call it the Family Carabao

this is the one that i would like to own.  when i hit the lotto jackpot. yes.

The Oblation.  10K i believe.

as a UP Diliman graduate, i wish to have a copy.   but i am having a few house repairs done so ....

SSS Online Inquiry

Yesterday my friend Baba had this question about her SSS-online inquiry.  She calls herself technically challenged, but she is not. not really.  She is, however, not in IT, so is not as savvy about internet things as some of our other friends.  She is in Marketing last I heard.  Baba is a classmate from Sayans as well.

Her concern?  In her own words -

No, there was no message. It just kept informing me of invalid username and password 

I asked her to do this

 try to retype everything.
that is, blank the spaces, then type.  

she said thanks with a smiley face so i suppose it worked.  If you have a similar concern, try the tip above.

in short, do not use the "cut-and-paste" style, and do not leave your name and password on the screen.  this is not good practice.

It is good to have your own my.sss so do register at www.sss.gov.ph

any concerns after that, try the tip above or if the tip does not work or you have other concerns, email Mr. Richard Rebellion,  his email address is  rebellionri@sss.gov.ph

You can also call the following numbers:  the SSS Hotline at 920-64-46 to 55.

if there are problems, let me know (you can comment on this post), and i will try my best to inform SSS management.  But again, only if Richard cannot help.  Remember, he is trying his best.

Happy Birthday to Ofelia Martin Templo

Happy Birthday to Ofie Templo!

Special remembrances to my Tito Pepe

Tito Pepe.
His complete name:  Jose Galvez Ongchangco
Brother of my Ermatzi (her maiden name) :
Aurora Galvez Ongchangco

SSS matters of immediate concern

What SSS matters concern you most?  

put your concerns as comments

Will blog in the order of concerns......or as per your query

you may find some of the post titles "weird" but follow the labels if you want to know the contents