Social protection programs and services from the Social Security System (SSS), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and Pag-IBIG will now be available onsite at Grab’s partner center located in Marikina, as part of its reinvigorated campaign to raise social welfare awareness amongst its driver and delivery partners in the country.
As part of the campaign, Grab subsidized the first month contribution of the first 2,000 Grab partners onboarded by the social protection program tie-up. With the exclusive rollout limited to Grab communities within the Metro Manila district, the company plans to further expand this initiative to other cities in the future.
Grab Philippines country head Grace Vera Cruz says that the social protection program represents the company’s commitment to the welfare and well-being of its thousands of driver partners in the Philippines through the creation of stronger safety nets they can rely on.
“Platform work has presented various benefits to many industries, and has been a valued source of livelihood for many Filipinos. We have built a community of partners founded on trust, hardwork, and shared mission to driving the Philippines forward. We will continue to scale this program nationwide to help support more partners and their loved ones,” she announced.
The launch of the initiative was carried out in two separate “Grab’s Buwan ng Tagapaghatid Family Day Celebration” events – the first one hosted Quezon City Memorial Circle followed by another event at the San Andres Complex in Malate, Manila. The events were co-presented by Maya, Phoenix Petroleum, Selecta Philippines, Maxvit by Unilab, and Revicon Forte.
Brand partners also offered exclusive deals to the event’s attendees which include a 3-month VIU Premium Subscription voucher, 24/7 mental health assistance from KonsultaMD valid until year-end, gasoline and diesel discounts (SeaOil, Unioil, Shell, Caltex), and 40% off Mobil products.
Grab claims that its platform is the first to roll out a robust, multi-agency social protection program for driver and delivery-partner welfare, born out of months-long dialogue and discussion with government agencies and social welfare groups.
Grab drivers and delivery partners can now avail of social insurance and salary loans from SSS, healthcare assistance from PhilHealth, and housing financing from Pag-IBIG. Through this partnership, SSS hopes to reach as many self-employed workers as possible from the platform.
“May this initiative by Grab inspire other companies to step-up and encourage their gig workers to become a self-employed SSS member to avail government social protection programs,” said Carlo Villacorta, department manager of the Professional Sector Department and acting head of the Cooperatives and Informal Sector Department of SSS.
Currently, SSS has two new programs introduced this year directed towards informal economy workers and individually-paying members – the flexible payment schedule and the Contribution Subsidy Provider Program (CSPP). With CSSP, SSS enters a partnership arrangement with contribution subsidy providers both from private and government entities.
A previous nationwide survey conducted by SSS revealed that workers hailing from the informal economy and last-mile communities have a preconception that SSS memberships are exclusive to formally employed individuals. Other challenges specific to the informal economy include sustainability and payment of correct contributions.
For PhilHealth, chief social insurance officer Rey Sulit assured Grab drivers that the benefits of its offered services can be extended to their beneficiaries. Meanwhile, Pag-IBIG Makati Jupiter branch head Geraldine Pauig stressed the importance of funneling the earnings of Grab drivers into more practical investments.
“It is undeniable that the driver-partners are one of the most hardworking members of the informal sector. It is just and right that the fruits of their labor can be directed towards tangible investments, and that is a house of their own, especially for their family,” she explained.
Beyond offering social protection programs on-site, the company also provided the “GrabCare Package” exclusive to all active driver-partners in the platform which includes calamity assistance, insurance, emergency top-up, hospital assistance, educational assistance, and burial assistance.
