Manuals streamline operations of GSIS

To streamline its operations, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) recently embarked on a system-wide project called Manuals of Operations (MOO), the first in the history of the state pension fund.

An initiative of GSIS president and general manager Winston Garcia, the 69-volume manuals cover the operation of the GSIS home office and its 40 field and seven district offices. They were already distributed to all GSIS offices across the country.

The manuals ensure uniformity in the processing and payment of claims and loans, and of other transactions. This is the first time in 20 years that the GSIS has come up with an operation manual.

Operating procedures were undertaken in disparate and varied methodologies for decades without any standardized manual. The old practice resulted in financial leakages either due to intentional fraud or simple lapses in controls.

But now, all operating units of the GSIS apply the same policy and follow identical steps to avoid scams and reduce processing time.

All GSIS executives and employees have undergone exams on the manuals, a move that measures their essential operating and administrative competencies.

The manuals come in the form of book and compact disc. They are regularly updated on the new functions or policies or structural reassignments in the system. - Jasmin R. Uy