Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert welcomed the report of the Philippine Embassy in Vienna on the formal exchange of instruments for ratification pertaining to the Supplementary Convention Amending the RP-Austria Convention in the Field of Social Security, which took place in simple rites at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 15 April 2004. The pact enters into force in July 2004.

Philippine Ambassador to Austria Victor G. Garcia III and Minister Plenipotentiary Dr. Thomas M. Buchsbaum, head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry’s “Department of Social and Labor Issues and Austrian Residents Abroad”, signed the Protocol of Exchange of Instruments of Ratification. This official act follows the signing of the Supplementary Convention which was signed on 15 September 2000.

In brief remarks during the simple ceremony, Ambassador Garcia stressed the significance of the pact, which he said would secure the social entitlements for Filipinos and Austrians and “reap rewards of their investments in a secure future”.

The Supplementary Convention improves on the terms and application of its mother agreement, the 1980 Social Security Pact between the Philippines and Austria according to Secretary Albert. The amendments effected by the supplementary convention include the simplification of the determination and computation of benefits under completed insurance periods or through totalization. The pact also includes language that allows for the inclusion of the Philippine Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) in the Convention’s scope.

The mother agreement, which has been amended and fine tuned by the Supplementary Convention, covers accident, pension, work injury, old age, invalidity, death  and sickness insurance.

“This is a landmark achievement for our estimated 3,972 Filipinos and another 20,000 former Filipino citizens currently residing in Austria” Secretary Albert stated as she read the provisions of the supplementary agreement. Our growing Filipino community in Austria and the Austrian community in the Philippines, stand to gain on the benefit coverage of social security particularly on the inclusion of the Philippine GSIS in the insurance period of computation”.

Ambassador Garcia further mentioned that the text of the agreement was negotiated and agreed upon by the two governments on 18-19 October 1999. The Philippine negotiating team at that time included officials from the Philippine Embassy in Vienna, then GSIS President and General Manager Frederico C. Pascual, Social Security System (SSS) Executive Vice President Horacio Templo and the SSS International Affairs Department Chief Roberto Bautista.  END.