By Franklin P. Gumapon
PAGADIAN CITY – More than 360 authorized
agency officers (AAOs) from the different local government units (LGUs), line
agencies, state colleges and universities, government owned and controlled
corporations (GOCCs), schools divisions and other government agencies based in
Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay have attended a re-orientation seminar
held here yesterday by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS)-Pagadian
City Branch.
Invited speakers were Mr. Elmer C. Baguio, manager,
Membership Department, Visayas-Mindanao Area and his division chief, Joeffrey
Moleño who talked on the importance of “ensuring that the records of all GSIS
members are regularly and properly maintained as basis for loans granting,
accounts management and claims settlement.”
Baguio said the AAOs play a very important role in updating
the members’ records to have clear, correct and exact entries in the membership
data to be provided by every government agency to the GSIS, as he emphasized
the three pillars of the government insurance system – the agency, the members
and the GSIS.
Moreover, Baguio announced that the GSIS is going to extend
an enhanced consolidated loan program starting June this year saying those who
have been members for 15 years but less than 25 years can avail themselves of a
loan equivalent to 12 months salary and those who are 25 years or more are
eligible to apply for a loan corresponding to 14 months salary. “The term of
payment of the enhanced consolidated loan has also been increased to 10 years,”
Baguio added.
In a related development, GSIS-Pagadian Manager Leoncito
Manuel disclosed that the GSIS had allotted 200 slots for its 2015 scholarship
program, which is open nationwide to incoming college students who are children
of members with the lowest salary grades. He, however, said the 20 slots are
reserved for the children of the members who are solo parents, indigenous
peoples and/or persons with disabilities.
Each scholar will receive a monthly stipend of P2 thousand
and a tuition fee of P40 thousand per year. The scholar has to enroll in CHED
(Commission on Higher Education) priority courses in GSIS-accredited schools.
The GSIS-accredited schools in Zamboanga Peninsula are the
Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) and Ateneo de Zamboanga University
(ADZU), all in Zamboanga City.
