GSIS bares 2012 programs

THE Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) said Friday that in the next six months, GSIS will focus on five programs in its effort “to be more consultative, transparent and member-focused.”

These include designing a new insurance policy with component of bigger savings; reviewing premium-based policy; assessing pre-need funeral and educational plans; establishing a 50-seater, 24/7 call center by the first quarter of 2012; and adopting a one-stop shop set-up in all field offices.

“We will regain the trust and confidence of our stakeholders the only way we know how: one member at a time, one pensioner at a time and one day at a time,” said GSIS president and general manager Robert Vergara. “The bottom-line really is to provide the most responsive service and bring this closer to our members and pensioners so we can regain their trust and confidence.”

He also outlined the initiatives launched by the current leadership to attain this goal such as the expanded partnership with the Land Bank to include pensioners and active members; deployment of 500 additional GWAPS (GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System) kiosks across the country; cancellation of the annual renewal of active status for local pensioners; and relaxing the entitlement qualifications for survivorship pension.

The goal includes grant of the option to retirees to choose the repayment scheme for outstanding service loan accounts upon retirement or the choice of loan amortization schedule for pensioners; ‘unclipping’ of home loans from the retirement or separation benefits; and partnership with the Pag-IBIG Fund for more efficient implementation of the direct home lending program.

“The GSIS (already) recently revised its emergency loan program and made it more member-friendly. We reduced the interest rate from eight to six percent, waived the one percent service fee and extended the first amortization payment to three months after the loan drawdown,” Vergara said.

“Our members can also conveniently file for an emergency loan through our GWAPS kiosks which we installed all across the country,” he added. “GSIS also plans to further deploy portable kiosks in the first semester of the year, which can be rapidly set up anytime, anywhere, particularly in areas stricken by calamities.”

The posting and reconciliation of accounts is taking some time. “At the moment, however, 97 percent of members’ remittances are now being posted accurately,” Vergara said.

Vergara assured that GSIS is doing everything to address the volume of inaccurate statements through “the creation of nine separate task forces and the deployment of all resources to resolve this long-standing issue.” (CGC)