Statutory benefits are those benefits which are required by law. These are benefits that if not given by your company, is a ground for legal action.

There are three statutory benefits for any teacher:
1.) PhilHealth Insurance
2.) SSS
3.) Pag-IBIG Fund

PhilHealth Insurance
Steps in availing of hospital benefits from PhilHealth:
1. Notify your school.
2. Have your Member Data Record (MDR) form ready. It is suggested that you get this from PhilHealth while you are still healthy. The MDR lists the beneficiaries of your policy.
3. Request the PHIC form from the satellite office in the hospital where you are.
4. Prepare a photocopy of contributions report from the school.

It is suggested that you do not go the easy way of paying first for the hospital and just asking for reimbursement from PhilHealth - this can take some time.

Also, be aware that some insurance firms insist that PhilHealth's share be paid first, before they will pay. Sometimes this can cause very long delays in your processing since PhilHealth will wait for the insurance to pay, while the insurance firm will wait for PhilHealth (guess why?).

Social Security System
Hospitalization benefits:
1. Inform your school that you are hospitalized.
2. The school reports to SSS through a sickness notification form. This sickness notification form is to be filled in by your doctor. The hospital will also have to issue a certificate of hospitalization.

In principle, the employer must issue the check, and SSS reimburses your employer. Be aware though that at times, your employer recognizes higher number of days of hospitalization than SSS, and therefore you may have to reimburse your company.

To be able to avail of the sickness benefits, you must be hospitalized or advised to rest for at least four days, and have at least three monthly contributions for the last three months. Note: SSS computes the "last three months" this way: the year is divided into semesters, one from January to June, the other from July to December. If you are sick in August, the "last three months" are checked from the first semester.

Also, SSS will only pay out sickness benefits if all company sick leaves had been used up. Note that your employer is not required by law to provide sick leaves.

Sickness benefits include a daily cash allowance for the duration of your hospitalization. This daily cash allowance is pro-rata computed from your average daily wage for the last six months (if I'm not mistaken).

If the employee had been separated, or voluntary contributor, or self-employed, the member must approach SSS directly. (I wonder how you can do that if you are hospitalized )

To include some people into your beneficiary list, you need to present a birth certificate. Unemployment is not a valid reason; your parents must be at least 60 years old. A parent cannot be claimed as beneficiary by another child if one child already listed him/her as a beneficiary.

Salary Loans from SSS
1. Ask for a form from SSS (sometimes you can get the form from your HR).
2. Once the loan is released, inform your employer so that deductions from your salary could be started.

Qualifications for a salary loan:
1. six monthly contributions in the last 12 months
2. updated in other loans
3. had not been granted final benefits (e.g. pension)
4. not disqualified due to fraud against SSS

one-month salary: average monthly salary for the last 12 (?) months
10% per annum interest
1% per month amortization if failed

SSS payments are reckoned every 10th day of the month; if the 10th day of the month fell on a holiday, the next working day.

The maximum loanable amount is PHP 24,000. The interest and your first monthly payment is taken right away from your loaned amount. (Although you still have to pay for 24 months.)

Pag-IBIG Fund
Some notes:
* Cedula are needed.
* Wait for an update regarding when you can claim your check.
* To be able to avail of a salary loan, you must have at least 24 monthly contributions.

The interest is 10.75% per annum. The term is for 24 months, with a grace period of 2 months.

One can renew the loan if there are at least six amortizations already.

At least in Cebu, Pag-IBIG personnel are the most efficient in releasing of loans, the average loan processed within three days.

Public schools destroy our children rather than giving them good education.I am looking into getting funding to become a forest school teacher.if my forest will pass the test it is in central.SSS will only pay out sickness benefits if all company sick leaves had been used up. Note that your employer is not required by law to provide sick leaves.