Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo Veloso on Friday welcomed the Office of the Ombudsman’s decision lifting his preventive suspension, saying he is eager to return to work and continue steering the pension fund.
In a statement, Veloso said the Ombudsman’s Sept. 17 order allows him to resume his post after being suspended in July along with six other GSIS officials over a controversial stock purchase.
“The findings of the Ombudsman affirm that there is insufficient ground to believe that my continued service would prejudice the ongoing investigation. I welcome this as recognition of the professionalism and integrity with which I have conducted myself throughout my tenure,” Veloso said.
He stressed that his actions had always been taken “in good faith and in accordance with the policies, procedures, and legal limits” governing GSIS operations.
Veloso emphasized that his focus now is on safeguarding and expanding the GSIS fund. “As President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has consistently emphasized, GSIS must remain focused on securing the long-term financial security of public servants and their families. I am committed to that mission. Our work continues—with humility, resolve, and the quiet focus of a public servant,” he said.
Veloso and six other officials were suspended without pay on July 11 over a P1.4-billion stock purchase from Alternergy, a renewable energy holding company. The Ombudsman had cited possible grave misconduct, neglect of duty, and violations of GSIS investment rules, warning their presence in office could prejudice the probe.