GSIS reaffirms stronger support for more than 600,000 pensioners
GSIS reaffirms support for 600,000-plus pensioners with a ₱50,000 funeral benefit, no-cap survivorship pension, and GSIS Touch services during Filipino Elderly Week.
NEWS
10/3/20262 min read
The Philippine Alliance of Retired Educators (PARE) honored GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso for being named Asia's Modern Hero for Public Service and Financial Leadership. The recognition points to GSIS programs that support pensioners and a more secure retirement for public servants.
The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has raised its funeral benefit to ₱50,000 and removed the cap on survivorship pensions. These are among the changes the agency is highlighting for its more than 600,000 pensioners during Filipino Elderly Week, observed Oct. 1 to 7 under Presidential Proclamation No. 470 (s. 1994).
The changes are already in effect. They also include looser rules on the Christmas cash gift, fully digital pension applications, and new ways for pensioners to update their contact details without visiting a GSIS office.
GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso said the programs reflect the pension fund's push to make retirement benefits more responsive to pensioners and their families.
"Our responsibility to our pensioners does not end when they retire. We must continue to protect their benefits and make our processes easier to navigate," Veloso said.
Surviving spouses are the main beneficiaries of the survivorship pension changes. Qualified spouses now receive the full 50% of their partner's pension, whatever the amount. GSIS also dropped the cohabitation rule, which means a beneficiary who lives with another partner no longer has the pension suspended for that reason alone. The pension now ends only if the beneficiary remarries.
The agency has also relaxed the Christmas cash gift rules. Pensioners who miss the April deadline for the Annual Pensioners Information Revalidation (APIR) no longer lose the gift automatically. They keep it as long as they complete the APIR eventually.
The funeral benefit climbed to ₱50,000 from ₱30,000 on July 13. It covers burial and funeral expenses of a deceased member or pensioner, and claims can be filed within four years. Qualified uniformed personnel of the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and Bureau of Fire Protection are eligible for a ₱10,000 benefit.
On the digital side, retirees can now file a pension application through the GSIS Touch mobile app instead of going to an office. The app also handles the APIR, loan applications, and other GSIS services remotely.
"Technology should make government transactions simpler, not more complicated," Veloso said. "For our pensioners, that means being able to complete more requirements from wherever they are, while retaining access to assistance when they need it."
GSIS is asking pensioners to keep their contact information current so important notices and updates reach them. Records can be updated over the counter, on the GSIS Touch app, through Agency Authorized Officers, or by sending a Member Request Form by mail, courier, or email.
Those who still need to visit an office can use the GSIS Appointment Buddy. Clients scan a QR code to get a queue number, then receive a text message when it is their turn, so they do not have to stand in line.
"For our pensioners, ginhawa should mean more than receiving a pension. It should also mean clearer rules and transactions that respect their time and circumstances," Veloso said.
GSIS said it will continue to build up programs that support the financial security and well-being of pensioners and retirees as the nationwide observance continues.