The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has opened its renovated Zamboanga City branch office and launched a new Digital Business Center to streamline services for nearly 48,000 members and pensioners in the region.
The upgrade is designed to handle the growing volume of transactions from 187 remitting agencies. GSIS president and general-manager Jose Arnulfo Veloso led the inauguration ceremony for the upgraded facilities, marking a significant shift in operations for the branch, which has been in the city since 1968.
With the GSIS now 99.6-percent digitalized, the new Digital Business Center is a critical bridge between modern systems and traditional face-to-face transactions.
While the GSIS Touch mobile app allows tech-savvy members to file claims remotely, the center provides on-site support for those who find technology difficult to navigate.
“We realized that to serve you better we had to change how we operate,” Veloso said.
“This is why we built the Digital Business Center. It complements the GSIS Touch mobile app which remains the core of our digitalization journey,” he said.
During his working visit, Veloso also inspected the Basilan Extension Office. Serving the island province for 20 years, the facility accepts and processes claim applications for about 7,000 members and pensioners, ensuring accessible service remains available outside the regional center.
Veloso also convened a mini-stakeholders’ dialogue with representatives from the Social Security System (SSS), Pag-IBIG Fund, Civil Service Commission (CSC), Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), UnionBank and the Office of the Zamboanga City Mayor. The dialogue served as a venue to hear direct feedback from stakeholders to further improve GSIS services.
Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso expressed support for the agency’s expanding reach, noting that the GSIS serves the entire peninsula, including Sulu which is now part of Region 9.
Veloso said these improvements are about restoring dignity to the member experience, citing the example of retired teachers who previously traveled long distances only to wait in line for hours.
