GSIS officer-in-charge Juliet Bautista. (Photo from Facebook)
GSIS COMPLEX, Pasay City — Affirming its full support of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (PBBM)’s call for integrity, prudent investment and modernization in service delivery, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has began rolling out sweeping pension reforms and digital innovations to improve the welfare of its members and retirees.
In his latest directive, President Marcos Jr. instructed both the GSIS and Social Security System (SSS) to guard members’ trust with vigilance, invest wisely and modernize their systems even as he stressed that services must be made accessible not only through digital platforms and helpdesks but also in the most remote communities.
“Let us protect the lifetime of work that our pensioners have built for themselves and for our country,” the President had enthused.
In response, GSIS officer-in-charge Juliet Bautista assured that GSIS is already carrying out the necessary directives through a series of major reforms that include the removal of the survivorship pension cap, where surviving spouses will receive the full 50 percent of their partner’s pension, regardless of amount.
Bautista also announced that the cohabitation rule has been abolished as survivorship pensions are no longer suspended if the beneficiary lives with another partner. Termination of pension now only applies if the pensioner remarried, thus ensuring that beneficiaries are not unfairly deprived of income.
Furthermore, GSIS has relaxed its rules on the Christmas Cash Gift with pensioners, who fail to complete their Annual Pensioners’ Information Revalidation (APIR) by April, are no longer disqualified from receiving the gift, as long as APIR is completed, even after April, the benefit remains intact.
Moreover, full digitization of pension applications have been implemented as retirees can now apply for their pension through the GSIS Touch app without the need to visit GSIS offices. This app also allows members and pensionerst o complete APIR, apply for loans, and access other services anytime, anywhere.
Finally, investment policies are now under review with the aim of further aligning them with the principles of sound governance, risk management ands ustainable growth. This is to ensure that members’ contributions are invested wisely and remain secure while delivering long-term value for future generations.
“These reforms are not just changes in rules. They are statements of our commitment to make our systems more humane, responsive, and inclusive. Through these reforms and digital platforms, we are making services faster, easier, and more accessible because our pensioners deserve retirement years marked by dignity, security and Ginhawa,” Bautista pointed out.