by Alfonso T. Ruda
DIPOLOG CITY, MAY
22(PIA)--- The Home
Development Mutual Fund or PAG-IBIG has reminded unregistered and delinquent
employers that they have only until June 30, 2012 to avail of its Penalty
Condonation Program.
Ms.
Cora Mamauag, Member Service Officer IV of the PAG-IBIG regional Office said
the Penalty Condonation Program seeks to protect the Pag-ibig members as well
as provide employers practicable means to settle their membership contribution
in arrears and compel unregistered/delinquent employers to register their
employees
The
program also seeks to compel unregistered/delinquent employers to register
their employees to the Fund and provide them access to Pag-ibig Benefits they
rightfully deserve.
Mamauag
said that employers who wish to avail of the program must present the following
documents – (1) Application form for Penalty Condonation; (2) Schedule (list)
of Employees with Unremitted contributions; (3) Affidavit of Undertaking; (4) Certified
True Copy of Applicable Proof of Business Existence; (a) Business permit/Mayor’s
Permit, (b) Department of Trade and Industry Certificate of Registration(for
sole proprietorship), (c) Securities and Exchange Commission Certificate of
Partnership/Incorporation(for partnership/corporation/foreign-owned
corporation/trade association), Cooperative Development Authority Certificate (for
cooperatives), and (e) SSS Certificate of Membership; (5) Photocopies of the
following: (a) Payroll for applicable months/period, (b) SSS R-3 (in the
absence of payroll). However, Pag-ibig may require additional documents deemed necessary.
Upon
approval of penalty condonation application, Mamauag pointed out that penalties
on their membership contribution arrears is condoned. The membership contribution
arrears of employers with approved penalty condonation include the employer
counterpart contributions and dividends that should have been earned by these
contributions.
The
employer shall be given an option to pay his membership contribution arrears in
full or via installment through a plan of payment. Qualified employers who
cannot pay their membership contribution arrears in full are allowed to submit
a plan of payment which must be approved by the concerned Pag-ibig Fund Branch.
Approved
Payment Plans may extend up to a maximum of 24 months for employers with at
least 100 employees at the time of application and 60 months for employers with
less than 100 employees and, with an interest rate of half-a-percent (0.5) per
month on the remaining membership contribution arrears unpaid.
Based
on the information gathered from Dipolog City’s Licensing Office, Mamauag said,
it was discovered that only 20% of the total business establishments operating
in the city are registered with the Fund.
After
the June 30 deadline, Mamauag said, Pag-ibig will already resort to legal action
against employers who failed or refused to avail of the Penalty Condonation
Program.
The
program covers unregistered and delinquent employers, as well as employers who
have Pag-ibig coverable employees from whom they did not collect membership contributions.
Employers
who have deducted but did not remit membership contributions and/or short-term
loan amortizations from their employees are disqualified from the penalty
condonation as well as employers who have previously availed of the program.
Pag-ibig
Membership Coverage become Universal under Republic Act 9679 or the Home Development
Mutual Fund Act of 2009 which took effect in January 2010.(ATR/PIA9-Zambo Norte)