Manila, March 25 -- The Supreme Court (SC) has declared as unconstitutional a provision of the 2018 Social Security System (SSS) Act that requires overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to pay their contributions in advance before they are allowed to the leave the country.

In a 40-page decision, the SC En Banc ruled that "Rule 14, Section 7(iii) of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act (RA) No. 11199 is declared unconstitutional for being contrary to Sections 1 and 6 of Article III of the Constitution."

RA 11198 (Social Security Act), signed into law by former president Rodrigo Duterte, compels all land-based OFWs to enroll and pay contributions to SSS as self-employed members, pay the employer's share in contributions and pa...