Maulion: Dear PNoy

AS YOU solicited our thoughts lately, this writer is emboldened in writing you this letter hopefully to reach your end, never mind the possibility it may pass through different maze for as long this writer expresses his complaints.
Anyway, this will probably make your day as I’ll be focusing only on one issue specifically: the GSIS.

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I’ll forego with the rhetoric and other trappings and instead going straightway to the issue, which is affecting us millions of members who are left in the cold of the night by unjust and partial treatment of GSIS.

Actually there had been many letters I wrote in the past to GSIS Cagayan de Oro and in fact published some articles in my column in other paper and raise repeatedly many concerns whenever opportunity arises. These complaints highlighted the sorry flight of million of amortizing homeowners held captive and hostage by the overly capitalist development model scheme of GSIS, charging us exorbitant interests and bleeding us dry almost to death government workers. GSIS extends ad infinitum our obligation through series of restructuring of our monthly amortization, which is now reaching skyhigh and has deprived us of our meager salary that otherwise would have been used in securing the education of our children. But to no avail. Sadly the compounded annually interest over the principal was good excuse in squeezing us further, leading us to no way out but the restructuring.

Thanks to you, PNoy, that you finally sucked Winston Garcia out of GSIS, and put in his place Ex. Gov. Daniel Lacson of Bacolod. But frankly the problems would go on or most likely would even reach far greater proportion unless basic issues are addressed.

First, as your Excellency knows, the salary that the GSIS executives are receiving just defies logic, crucifying even the standardization law. The clipping I had from national daily many years past simply bares it all: more than P500,000. basic monthly regular salary of the chairman and down the line on top of more than P100,000 monthly allowance for Board of Directors everytime they have a meeting!

And where all these bucks come from if not from the members themselves, whom they slapped with technicalities from their erratic housing amortizations they have defaulted just to squeeze more profits to cater to their greed!
Corruption! This is it incredibly in highest order yet as it is institutionalized.

No problem for those who committed blatant and willful defiance in paying with their monthly amortization. But not to those who are religiously paying their obligation through payroll deduction and probably just incurred lapses through reasons beyond their control, like transfer of assignment. Looking through the official records, most of the victims have dutifully fulfilled their commitments for many years, but suddenly found they were in default, which is simply unfair and suspect.

It is hoped that you, Mr. President, re-study such partial scheme to save those who are caught in the middle specially that these sector are punctual and honest taxpayers albeit whose salaries could hardly make both ends meet.

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I don’t know if this note would earn a response from concerned party. Our government pretends to be online anyway. If he does, what a positive note for collaboration. If not, never mind. Public sector union has been there anyway and could take cudgel for and in our behalf. Anyhow this column is willing to print your reaction. For unless each member is given his own benefit of the doubt in the spirit of freedom.

All of us GSIS members should get out from our shell and be counted; after all it’s all of us who are affected most. Just think of the implications to our children, the coming generation. At least we members would be happy taking our final rest knowing that our children are secured on the hard earned money we have paid for many decades.

Email rfmaulion@yahoo.com.