The state currently owes the Institute of Social Security of the Armed Forces (Issfa) a little more than 32 million dollars for 60% of the contribution to the payment of pensions that it must make in favor of retirees and other beneficiaries of Montepío. The fact is that according to the execution of the state budget, the Ministry of Economy and Finance has an accounting budget of 382.4 million dollars as of December 26, but it actually paid out only 350 million dollars. So the difference is the delay that corresponded specifically to the thirteenth salary. In any case, the total amount to be paid by December 31 is $499 million.

In recent months, the state has been late with payments to the social security system that covers pensioners from the Armed Forces. For this reason, on December 7th, a protest was held at the foot of the Carondelet Palace and even at the foot of the Issfa facilities in Guayaquil, after they did not receive their pension payments for November.

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Faced with the lack of payment, the Board of Directors reported in an official statement on December 22 that “on the basis of the technical and legal foundations that make the appropriate financing mechanism viable, at an extraordinary session, it unanimously decided to approve the payment of the tenth third salary.” In addition, they reported that it will be paid into the pensioner’s bank account on the same Friday.

It was also indicated that “Issfa will continue to intensify efforts at the highest level in order to obtain the funds legally due to them to pay their obligations”. It is about the fact that the state has not yet paid the monthly contribution, so the payments come from the institution’s own pocket.

The statement also stated that the authorities of the Armed Forces Social Insurance Agency rejected the dissemination of messages by anonymous actors “with the obvious intention of generating disinformation”.

Faced with the announcement, many people receiving Montepio complained at the time that they had not been paid.

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Additionally, there were those who indicated that heroes and heroines and other beneficiaries were not paid either. According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s budget execution page, the codified budget as of December for state pension payments is $16.5 million, but $14.4 million has been collected and paid. In theory, they would be up to date.

On this topic, Rear Admiral Aland Molestina, former Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, who is retired from Issfa, explains that, as far as is actually known, Issfa had to pay pensioners’ salaries from their own funds.

However, he explains, this does not suit the institution, especially because it affects the liquidity of insurance and damages investments and loans. He also comments that if the heroes and heroines are not paid, it must be because they are not affiliated with Issfa and that payment is 100% dependent on what the government delivers to Issfa.

In any case, Molestina says that as pensioners these days they will wait for payments from the state.

“What the government will do is accumulate debts, I believe that part of the public sector salaries for December will be paid in January”

The country is currently facing a significant lag in social security in general. For example, in the execution of the budget it was observed that for the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security (IESS) the delay would amount to about 1.2 billion USD.

The state contribution for IESS pensions is 40%, and for the Armed Forces and the police 60%.

Likewise, the state also owes the Police Institute for Social Insurance (Isspol). The disbursement budget as of December is USD 228.6 million, and USD 194 million has been accumulated to date; However, what was actually paid was $141.3 million. That is, they owe $53.7 million.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance recognized that the fiscal fund is very low and that the debts are already over 4,000 million dollars.

The serious problem of the Government that has been in office for a month is that it has received a country with a huge fiscal deficit (revenues are lower than expenses) and in a difficult environment for financing because it has a country risk that is at 2,078 points. from December 25.