President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has signed Proclamation No. 1020 to officially declare the second week of September of every year as ‘National Pensioners’ Week’.
According to the President, the proclamation recognizes the contributions of pensioners and ensures their welfare through adequate social protection while designating the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) as lead implementing agencies.
In a statement, GSIS officer-in-charge Juliet Bautista welcomed the proclamation, saying “this recognition institutionalizes what GSIS has long believed—that our pensioners deserve not just our gratitude but sustained support as they have dedicated years of service to the nation.” Bautista added that with the proclamation of ‘National Pensioners’ Week’, GSIS has now a permanent platform to celebrate members’ contributions while expanding programs and services that truly matter to the agency’s beneficiaries.
For his part, SSS president and chief-executive-officer Robert Joseph De Claro expressed gratitude to the chief executive: “We are so blessed that the President has signed the executive order declaring the second week of September as National Pensioners’ Week.”
To conclude, De Claro committed that together with the GSIS, (SSS) will always work to improve your benefits in reference to the President’s directive that emphasized the importance of honoring pensioners’ contributions and raising awareness on social security protection.
Even before the proclamation, GSIS and SSS had already mounted a joint National Pensioners’ Day which was attended by more than 200 pensioners from various organizations.
The event featured free wellness checkups, pampering services, a film showing, distribution of tokens and the awarding of land titles to pensioners that highlighted the proactive efforts of the two agencies to bring services closer to retirees.
“By institutionalizing National Pensioners’ Week, the government affirms its commitment to continuously uplift the welfare of pensioners,” Bautista and De Claro stressed in agreement.
