CALAMBA CITY, Laguna, Philippines — The Social Security System (SSS) and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) have strengthened their partnership to expand access to social security information and services for Filipinos living and working abroad, with a new memorandum of understanding focused on education, membership and benefit awareness.
SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Joseph Montes De Claro and CFO Chairperson and Secretary Dante “Klink” Ang II led the signing of the MOU on August 3, according to an announcement released Monday. The agreement aims to deepen inter-agency cooperation in promoting social protection programs for overseas Filipinos and their families.
Under the agreement, the two agencies will coordinate information, education and communication initiatives to increase awareness among overseas Filipinos about SSS membership, benefits, loan programs and the MySSS Pension Booster. The partnership is also intended to make it easier for Filipinos abroad to access SSS services and make informed decisions about retirement and financial security.
“This MOU marks another significant step in strengthening the partnership between SSS and CFO,” De Claro said. He added that the collaboration is intended to reach more overseas Filipinos and provide them with information needed to access SSS programs and services that support their financial security and well-being.
The new agreement builds on a partnership established in March 2025, when SSS and CFO signed an agreement for the KaSSSangga Collect Program. Under that program, job-order and contract-of-service workers at the CFO were registered as self-employed SSS members, allowing them to obtain social security protection despite not being covered by the Government Service Insurance System because of their employment status.
The 2025 partnership also allowed the CFO to serve as an authorized SSS Coverage and Collection Partner, facilitating the collection and remittance of contributions through a salary-deduction arrangement. Covered workers became eligible for SSS benefits such as sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, funeral and death benefits, as well as selected loan programs and Employees’ Compensation coverage for work-related contingencies.
The latest MOU comes as SSS continues to expand its reach beyond traditional workplace-based coverage. In its 2025 year-end report, the pension fund said it planned to strengthen its footprint both in the Philippines and overseas in 2026, including the establishment of foreign representative offices in Madrid, San Francisco and Macau.
SSS currently provides a dedicated coverage program for overseas Filipino workers and other Filipinos abroad. The agency says SSS membership can continue even when a Filipino resides permanently in another country, with services and payment channels available through its online platforms and collection partners.
Among the programs being promoted is the MySSS Pension Booster, a voluntary retirement savings program formerly known as WISP Plus. SSS says the voluntary program is open to qualified members, including OFWs, and allows contributions starting at P500 per payment, subject to the applicable collection channel. Contributions and investment earnings under the program are tax-free, according to SSS.
SSS members can also qualify for a range of social security benefits, including sickness, maternity, disability, retirement, death, funeral and unemployment benefits, depending on membership status and applicable eligibility requirements.
The CFO, meanwhile, is mandated to serve Filipinos who live overseas, particularly permanent and long-term migrants and their families. CFO Secretary Ang has emphasized the agency’s role in strengthening engagement with the Filipino diaspora, which government data puts at about 10.8 million overseas Filipinos.
The strengthened SSS-CFO cooperation is expected to give overseas Filipinos greater access to reliable information about social security coverage and retirement savings while reinforcing government efforts to extend social protection to Filipinos regardless of where they live.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
