In a significant step towards enhancing welfare protection for personnel, the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority - Zamboanga Fish Port Complex (PFDA-ZFPC) and the Social Security System (SSS) officially signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for social security benefits on March 31, 2025 at the PFDA-ZFPC One Stop Shop Building, Sangali, Zamboanga City.
This partnership aims to provide social security coverage for the Job Order/ Contract of Service (JO/CoS) personnel in the PFDA-ZFPC.
The agreement was signed in a ceremony led by Mr. Ignacio M. Yao, Port Manager of the PFDA-ZFPC, and Ms. Irene D. Laxamana, Acting Head of the Mindanao West Division of SSS.
The signing ceremony was attended by personnel and representatives from both agencies, marking the beginning of a stronger partnership focused on the welfare of Zamboanga’s labor force.
Under the terms of the MOA, the SSS will extend social security benefits to the JO/CoS personnel engaged at the PFDA-ZFPC, ensuring that they have access to health care, retirement, and other social security which were thoroughly discussed in an information seminar by Mr. Luis S. Tuvera, Junior SSS Senior Analyst.
This agreement reflects the ongoing efforts to provide comprehensive protection for all types of personnel in the region, especially those in contractual arrangements. With the signing of the agreement, the PFDA-ZFPC became one of the key institutions in the region to ensure that its JO/CoS personnel are given the same social security benefits enjoyed by organic personnel1, reinforcing the government’s push for equitable and inclusive social welfare programs across all sectors of the workforce.
(Anesty F. Limen - PFDA-ZFPC)
RGE
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1Also known as Regular or Plantilla personnel.