MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte has named Insurance Commissioner Emmanuel Dooc as the new president and chief executive of the Social Security System.

In a November 15 letter to the board of the Social Security System, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed that Duterte has approved the nomination of Dooc to the post.

Dooc had served as Insurance Commissioner since 2011. In 2013, then President Benigno Aquino III re-appointed him to another 6-year term, set to end in 2019.

In October, it was Dooc who urged the Duterte administration to approve mandatory disaster insurance coverage for households and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The proposed insurance coverage, the Philippine Catastrophe Insurance Pool,  aims to speed up recovery for low-income households and SMEs after a disaster. 

In May, the Department of Finance gave Dooc the Baldomero B. Aguinaldo Award for his “pioneering leadership in the field of insurance,” according to a statement from the Commission.

Dooc’s efforts helped make the rate of individuals with life insurance coverage reach 37.35% (37.35 million) of the population.

According to the Commission, Dooc contributed mainly through championing micro-insurance. 

“Under the leadership of Commissioner Dooc, an Enhanced Microinsurance Regulatory Framework was formulated as well as the guidelines on the development and sale of micro agriculture, microhealth and micro-preneed products,” it said.

Duterte’s plans for SSS

It will be interesting what reforms Dooc will bring to the SSS, given Duterte’s pronouncements on the state-run pension fund.

During the presidential campaign, Duterte said he planned to merge the SSS and the Government Service Insurance System because be believed the two funds were “not working well.”

Duterte had also blasted SSS officials for giving themselves large performance bonuses while SSS members do not get sufficient pensions.

During the campaign, Duterte said he supports a pension hike, saying the current pension given to the elderly “is really not enough.” – Rappler.com