Ito ang naging pangamba at babala ni Sen. Manuel Roxas II matapos italaga ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa Social Security System (SSS) si Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman Romulo Neri.
Maliban sa pangambang nanganganib ang multi-bilyon pisong pension fund ng humigit-kumulang dalawampung milyong SSS members, kinuwestyon ni Roxas ang ‘conflict of interest’ ni Neri lalo pa’t miyembro ito ng naturang government financial institution.
“I understand there’s going to be a social welfare cluster headed by Romy Neri. This is going to be an absolute conflict of interest. Romy Neri, as head of SSS, is an employee of the SSS members,” resbak ni Roxas.
Kasabay ang alegasyong ‘conflict of interest’ kapag pinamunuan ni Neri ang SSS, ikinabahala ni Roxas ang posibleng pagkatagilid sa mga benepisyong ipinagkakaloob sa private workers.
Ayon kay Roxas, chairman ng Senate committee on trade and commerce, malalagay sa balag ng alanganin ang pension plan o benepisyo ng mga manggagawa lalo pa’t kuwestyunable ang kredibilidad ni Neri, patunay ang pagkakasangkot nito sa broadband scandal.
“It does not serve Romy Neri, it does not serve the President, nor the government, and most importantly it does not serve the 20 million-plus SSS members who have set aside their money, because the person who is supposed to look out after their interest, ought to be absolutely independent,” ani Roxas.
Walang pinag-iba sa nakaupong governor ng Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), ayon kay Roxas ang pagiging chairman ng SSS na kailangang independent body taliwas sa pagkatao ni Neri na isang political appointee na pinagkakautangan ng loob ni Mrs. Arroyo.
“That is the whole point of having a different person setting up or looking over the SSS. This is not a state pension fund, this is a pension fund of private people who have set aside money for their pensions. Their interests ought to be paramount in the minds of those overseeing these funds,” ani Roxas.