MANILA—The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has announced the release of a massive P3.93 billion Christmas cash gift, set to benefit 411,692 eligible pensioners starting Thursday, December 4.
In a significant policy shift, this year marks the first time that the annual holiday benefit has been expanded to include pensioners under the pro-rata scheme and the Portability Law (Republic Act 7699). This move brings holiday cheer to an additional 14,992 senior members who were previously excluded from the benefit.
GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso emphasized that the expanded coverage is meant to ensure that all of the institution’s senior members feel fully supported during the holidays. “We want our pensioners to feel valued and supported, especially during the Christmas season,” Veloso stated.
The cash gift, equivalent to one month’s pension or P10,000—whichever is lower—will be automatically credited to the pensioners’ GSIS ATM accounts.
Furthermore, to give beneficiaries a head start on holiday preparations, the agency has moved up the crediting of the December monthly pension from the usual date of December 8 to an earlier release on December 5.
Eligible recipients include old-age, retirement, and disability pensioners under RA 8291, RA 660, RA 7699, and PD 1146, provided they are in active status and receiving a regular or pro-rata pension as of November 30.
The agency reminds all recipients to complete their Annual Pensioners’ Information Revalidation (APIR), which can be done conveniently via the facial recognition feature on the GSIS Touch mobile app.
Pensioners whose accounts were temporarily suspended due to APIR non-compliance as of December 31 may still claim their cash gift once their accounts are successfully reactivated.