The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) on Monday vowed to provide teachers and other personnel of the Department of Education (DepEd) with easier and direct access to its services by hastening their response to their financial concerns.
During the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the DepEd and GSIS on Monday, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio said the teachers’ issues with GSIS services always top their list of concerns, along with their problem with the delayed performance-based bonuses (PBB).
“Some of the concerns of DepEd employees with GSIS are older than our employees’ children. They’ve been asking questions and raising complaints for a long time. We have noticed that many of their questions and concerns were addressed immediately. But maybe we’ve fallen short in bringing these solutions to teachers,” Duterte-Carpio said.
She stressed that financial security was among the sources of anxiety for teachers.
Under the agreement, the GSIS committed to establishing more express lanes in its central office and all its branches nationwide that would exclusively serve teachers and DepEd personnel.
Account officers would also be designated as official and exclusive liaisons dedicated to DepEd concerns. The GSIS hotline would also have an option that would particularly address DepEd personnel inquiries.
An annual dialogue between GSIS branches and DepEd representatives to discuss and address their concerns on GSIS matters was also slated.
GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo “Wick” Veloso said the details of the MOA would be implemented “immediately.”
A total of 1,025,823 authorized personnel were working under DepEd, 888,888 of whom are teachers.
Duterte-Carpio said the initiative was “very timely” as National Teachers’ Month leading to World Teachers’ Day was being celebrated.
“This confirms our commitment to provide solutions to the concerns of our employees and to move forward with the renewed and stronger institutional collaboration anchored on our shared objective to best serve Filipinos and our country,” she added.
Earlier, the state pension fund unveiled the Multi-Purpose Loan Flex program (MPL Flex) to public school teachers and other GSIS members in celebration of the National Teachers’ Month.
The MPL Flex provides competitive interest rates starting from 6% and extends the repayment term to 15 years from the previous 10-year limit.
The lower interest rate and longer payment term translate to lower monthly payments.
“The MPL Flex initiative is in response to the call of Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte to bolster the financial resilience of teachers in line with DepEd’s MATATAG agenda,” Veloso said.
Veloso added that the MPL Flex provides an “important lifeline to teachers to improve their financial capacity by using the loan for their various needs including capital to start their own business.”
The program also allows members with a mere one-month premium contribution to apply, as opposed to the earlier three-month contribution requirement.
“The program is so flexible that borrowers can customize their loan terms based on their unique needs and financial situation,” Veloso pointed out.
In addition, full repayments before the end of the loan term will incur no pretermination fees.
Eligible applicants are active and special members not on unpaid leave during the application period. They should have made at least one premium payment in the six months leading up to their application and have no pending administrative charge.
Veloso said that those struggling with outstanding arrears on their GSIS loans can also seek assistance through MPL Flex, with first-time beneficiaries benefiting from a waiver on surcharges.
Members can apply via the GSIS Touch mobile app, GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosks, or in person at any GSIS branch. Upon approval by the agency authorized officer, loan proceeds will be credited to the member’s eCard account within one business day.
For details, borrowers may visit the GSIS website (www.gsis.gov.ph) or GSIS Facebook account (@gsis.ph); email [email protected]; or call the GSIS Contact Center at 8847-4747 (if in Metro Manila), 1-800-8-847-4747 (for Globe and TM subscribers), or 1-800-10-847-4747 (for Smart, Sun, and Talk ‘N Text subscribers).