THE Social Security System's (SSS) total assets have reached P1.36 trillion as of July this year, while posting P55 billion in net income.
The SSS reserve fund surpassed P1 trillion for the first time in 2025, while the agency also recorded a P142.97-billion net income and total assets of P1.26 trillion.
"A stronger fund means a stronger capacity to pay pensions and benefits," SSS President and CEO Robert Joseph de Claro said in a media briefing in line with the celebration of the agency's 69th anniversary.
He added that a stronger financial position allows SSS to expand assistance to members, including the early release of the second tranche of its pension reform and the launch of the SSS Micro Loan Program (MLP), also known as SSS LoanLite, which carries an interest rate of 8 percent annually. The microloan program has already attracted 50,000 borrowers.
The SSS said it has released the second tranche of its pension increase from September to June this year, three months earlier, benefiting 4.1 million pensioners.
In 2025, the SSS disbursed about P305 billion in pensions and other benefits to millions of members nationwide. From January to July this year, it had already released another P205 billion in benefit payments.
De Claro said the agency was working to make financial assistance more accessible to members through the microloan program, which was designed to provide short-term financing at an annual interest rate of 8 percent or about 0.67 percent per month.
A member borrowing P10,000 would pay about P800 in interest over a year, or roughly P67 a month, based on the stated rate.
The program also simplifies the application process by removing the requirement for employer certification, de Claro said.
The SSS, de Claro added, is strengthening its Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF), a defined-contribution savings program for members.
As of July, about 9.15 million members were contributing to the MPF, with member contributions reaching around P235 billion. The SSS is targeting P480 billion in member contributions by the end of the year.
"Ultimately, social security is about trust," he said, stressing the responsibility of the SSS to protect the strength of its fund today while staying financially sustainable for future generations.
