GSIS employee steals P.3 M from dead pensioner’s account

 The Pasay police recently arrested a Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) employee who is facing theft charges for collecting nearly P300,000 from a deceased pensioner’s account.

Rogel Corrales, a social insurance analyst at the GSIS’ Pension Administration Department (PAD), is now detained at the city police station.

Authorities arrested Corrales based on three warrants of arrest issued by Judge Pedro de Leon Gutierrez of Branch 119 of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court.

Earlier, the Pasay prosecutor’s office found probable cause against Corrales for qualified theft through falsification of public documents, a non-bailable offense.

Corrales was also charged with violating Section 3 of Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, as well as RA 8484 or the Access Devices Regulation Act.

According to a complaint by the GSIS, Corrales reportedly “enrolled” Gloria Gabilla, an old-age pensioner who died on April 20, 2006, in the eCard program of the pension fund on March 2, 2007.

The eCard is a smart card that combines the features of an identification card, debit card and an Automated Teller Machine card issued to GSIS members and pensioners.

The pension payments are deposited monthly by the GSIS in the pensioner’s eCard account. The pensioner can then use the eCard to withdraw the deposited amount from any ATMs in the country.

Corrales allegedly applied for an eCard in Gabilla’s name using his own fingerprints and a bogus ID picture. He is said to have secured the printed eCard on behalf of the deceased Gabilla, subsequently activated it and processed the accrual of the pension payments of Gabilla amounting to P299,322.22, covering the period when she last received her pension check until the date of accrual.

On different dates in June, July and August 2007, Corrales also allegedly withdrew different amounts from Gabilla’s eCard account, totaling P281,200.

It was on July 26, 2007 when the relatives of Gabilla, who had not yet been tagged by the GSIS at that time as deceased, applied for funeral benefits with the GSIS.

Gabilla’s family could not get any proceeds due to the overpayment of pension benefits. The overpayment occurred because Corrales allegedly continued to receive pension payments through Gabilla’s eCard.

This report prompted the GSIS’ PAD to investigate the matter, resulting in the discovery of the fraud allegedly perpetrated by Corrales.