GSIS RESPONSE TO TYPHOON VICTIMS UTTERLY DISMAL, Fund owners demand better benefits and significant assistance

Submitted by courage_phil on Wed, 10/07/2009 - 06:23.

Members of the Confederation
for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) and
other GSIS fund owners held a protest action today at the GSIS main office in
Pasay City to press the State Pension Fund to implement a more impactful relief
program for members who were affected by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng other than
its P20,000 Calamity Loan which the militant group claims is deceptive,
inadequate and ineffective.

 

“The
GSIS response to the calamity has been found wanting. At a time when its
members badly needed the social insurance system, it has simply resorted to
recycled and ineffective programs. The calamity loan of only P20,000 per member
will be subject to the questionable automatic Claims and Loan Interdependency
Policy (CLIP). As a result of this policy, only employees who have no previous
loans or premium arrears and/or those whose payment records are updated in the
GSIS (which is a problem for many GSIS members) will benefit from this loan.
Members were also deceived that the calamity loan can be easily availed of
through the GWAPS (GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System). Thousand were
frustrated that after long hours of queuing at GSIS kiosks, they were only
given application forms to fill out,” said COURAGE National President Ferdinand
Gaite.

 

Fund
owners also expressed serious concern over possible corruption of millions of
funds supposedly allotted for calamity victims. “Given the long list of
anomalous transactions involving PGM Winston Garcia and other GSIS top
officials, we cannot help but be negative towards entrusting our hard-earned
contributions to the likes of Garcia. The GSIS management certainly does not
have the integrity to properly safeguard and handle our funds. The P12 billion
GSIS contribution to the administration’s economic resiliency fund still
remains to be unaccounted up to this date. What guarantee do we have that our
funds would not be time and again misspent and diverted to self-serving purposes
other than what it was originally intended for?” commented Gaite.

 

COURAGE
stressed that GSIS should provide grants or benefits to members for general
assistance, house repair/rehabilitation and other purposes and not just loans which
will have to be eventually paid. Gaite also pointed out that GSIS can
concretely mitigate the adverse economic effects of typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng through
increasing dividends and pensions, timely release of benefits and lowering of
interest rates. “Members have already been doubtful about loans since they are
aware of the faulty and delayed posting of payments by the GSIS. Baka si Winston Garcia lang ang pwedeng
makapag-loan diyan. Who can ever forget his P11 million housing loan which
was unbelievably processed and released after three days?” added Gaite. #