State-run pension fund Social Security System said maternity benefit disbursements in 2018 jumped 15.6 percent or P954.62 million to P7.07 billion from P6.11 billion in 2017.
SSS president and chief executive Aurora Ignacio said in a statement over the weekend over 326,000 female members were assisted in 2018.
“We are glad that we are able to assist more of our female members financially during their pregnancy in 2018. We have recorded an increase of 12.6 percent or 36,550 female members more who availed themselves of the benefit in 2018 compared to that of the previous year,” she said.
Of the total number of beneficiaries in 2018, 68.2 percent or 222,551 are employee-members with total disbursements amounting to P5.98 billion.
Voluntary members, meanwhile, comprised 25 percent or 81,641 with total disbursements of around P850 million. This is followed by 4.5 percent or 14,692 self-employed members and 2.3 percent or 7,429 overseas Filipino worker members with total disbursements of around P80 million and P150 million, respectively. Julito G. Rada