MANILA – SSS-GSIS Pensyonado Party-list Rep. Rolando Macasaet is pushing for the passage of a measure seeking to significantly strengthen the financial protection of surviving spouses of government pensioners.
House Bill (HB) No. 7009, which was filed last Dec. 22, proposes to amend Republic Act 8291, or the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Act of 1997, by increasing the survivorship pension of qualified spouses from the current 50 percent to 100 percent of the basic monthly pension.
A survivorship pension refers to the monthly benefit given to the legal spouse of a deceased member or pensioner, intended to replace the income lost upon the member’s death.
Under the Social Security System (SSS), this benefit already amounts to the full monthly pension, while under the GSIS, surviving spouses currently receive only half.
“Under the Social Security System, survivorship pensions are already granted at 100 percent. There is no reason why GSIS pensioners’ families should receive less protection than their counterparts in the private sector,” Macasaet said in a statement Monday.
“House Bill 7009 is about fairness, compassion, and dignity,” he added.
The bill recognizes that surviving spouses often face heightened financial vulnerability following the death of a GSIS member or pensioner, especially amid rising inflation and increasing costs of essential goods and services.
Macasaet noted that the current survivorship benefit, while helpful, is no longer sufficient to ensure a dignified and stable quality of life for beneficiaries left behind.
“Under HB 7009, survivorship benefits will more accurately reflect the principle of pension continuity. By providing the full basic monthly pension, the measure aims to ease the economic burden on grieving families and affirm the State’s commitment to social protection,” he said. (PNA)