Davao teachers join protest vs GSIS
MEMBERS of Kahugpungan sa mga Magtutudlo ug Kawani sa Edukasyon sa Mindanao-Alliance of Concerned Teachers (Kamkem-ACT) Davao City and Act Teachers party-list stage a teachers' protest in front of Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) office in Matina Wednesday.
The picket is part of the nationwide teachers' protest action to denounce the oppressive policies of GSIS and its president Winston Garcia, describing him as "incompetent" and "insensitive" to the plight of the country's 1.5 million GSIS members.
The protesters carried large portraits of Garcia and President Gloria Arroyo, whom the protesters criticized for her continued support of the unpopular GSIS administrator. The protesters then concluded their protest by burning the images of Garcia and Arroyo.
"Our protest expressed the frustration and anger felt by public school teachers and employees all over the country towards the unjust policies and practices of the GSIS under Winston Garcia. Without a doubt, the GSIS is the most hated government office among the ranks of teachers and employees," said Kamkem-ACT Davao chairperson Elenito Escalante.
Escalante denounced the "criminally negligent record-keeping" of the GSIS.
"At the root of members' suffering is the GSIS's failure to maintain accurate and up-to-date records of members' accounts. As a financial institution, this is the prime responsibility of GSIS. GSIS record-keeping has resulted to hundreds of thousands of members complaining that they are being charged for loans that have already been paid or premiums that have already been deducted," he said.
The group also criticized Garcia's introduction of the Claims and Loans Interdependency Program (Clip), a policy of automatic deduction of arrears from members' benefits and receivables.
ACT Teachers Partylist Mindanao coordinator and fifth nominee Mae Fe Ancheta-Templa said "this policy robs members of their right to due process. It's the main instrument used by GSIS to make illegal deductions. It's often the case that GSIS will deduct huge amounts from the benefits of members even though they owe nothing to the GSIS. In other words, it's a legalized form of stealing."
The group estimated that the GSIS has made at least P2 billion in illegal deductions from the benefits of public school teachers and non-teaching personnel of the Department of Education alone.
In its statement, Kamkem-ACT and ACT Teachers party-list also called for the immediate refund of all deductions made by GSIS through Clip. They also reiterated the call for the ouster of Winston Garcia and challenged the presidential candidates running in the May 10 elections to install a new GSIS management that will institute genuine reforms in the state pension fund.
"Not a single presidential candidate has taken a stand on the GSIS. We challenge them to do so, for the sake of the millions of public school teachers and other government employees and their families," Ancheta-Templa said. (PR)