The GSIS - what's happening to it?

As the GSIS celebrates its foundation day, thousands of teachers from a number of provinces are flexing their muscles to hold an indignation rally against that government agency. What do they have against it? There are complaints about delayed release of benefits and the use of paperless transactions involving E-Card and ATM. There are also complaints about delayed deductions, and for retirees, delayed release of pension money.

One objection to the release of funds through an electronic machine is the absence of information on how much was due the client and how much was deducted and for what reason. Moreover, to acquire their E-Card teachers have to leave their stations and come to the city, an expensive undertaking certainly.  Delayed deduction refers to a loan amortization which is not immediately collected. As a result the borrower has to pay a penalty for the period of delay thereby increasing the interest payment for his loan. In some cases, the delay covers several years, a situation which of course bloats the borrower's obligation several times the original amount.

Among pensioners the problems are more serious. One of these has to do with sudden non-release of pension checks (now through ATM) without informing the pensioner why. Here's my own experience.

Last year my pension checks from January to April were withheld. In the last week of February I went to GSIS Cebu and inquired why my checks were not released. I was told that the reason was my alleged "outstanding checks" in early payments. I checked with the bank where I deposited such checks and was informed that a report on the transaction had been forwarded to GSIS Manila. I then returned to GSIS and was advised to apply first for an E-Card. When I went to the E-Card processing office I was told that I could not qualify for the card because my pension payment was under suspension. Now was that not a case of bureaucratic ping-pong play?

I had the temptation to air my gripes publicly. But I held my patience. Being from the government myself I knew those personnel must have been over-worked. Anyway, few days later I went to another personnel and explained my problem. She made me sign something after she asked for my I.D. card. After this I waited and waited and finally in the second week of April a check containing a four-month payment came. But that is not the end of my story.

This year I started getting paid through a bank's ATM using my E-Card (they finally issued one to me). For the first 3 months it was OK, but in May I found my ATM empty. Again I harked back to the Cebu office. You should apply for an E-Card Plus, or they will not restore your pension money, a co-retiree told me. I did this, then went to the lobby which was jampacked with clients all waiting to be served. I asked for a priority number and was given 146. "What's your number, Noy", I asked an elderly man sitting next to me, "Seventy-six", he said, "And I have been here since yesterday". He was from Sogod. The following day I went back to the same area. Having seen my number, the one incharge punched her keyboard then pushed a printed form for me to sign. "You should have notified our office a month or two before your birthday", she said, "Your pension was suspended because you failed to do so".

I felt like saying, "But I was not informed about that!" Not wanting to argue about it, I left after thanking her. Three weeks later I got my pension money.

My ordeal is peanuts compared to that of other pensioners from the provinces. Some of them have to stay for a day or two or three in the city to get their pension woes straightened out. Once solved, however, their woes are not yet over because they have to come to the city every month to say hello to the ATM of GSIS's favorite bank which has no outlets in the municipalities. Of course, this means more hassle and more expense.

What a miserable treatment GSIS gives to these former public servants!     

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