State pension fund Government Service Insurance System Chairman and concurrent Acting President and General Manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet unveiled two more GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosks here in Zamboanga City as part of the pension fund’s continuing goal to bring its services closer to members and pensioners.
The first kiosk was installed on Friday in Bgy Vitali in Zamboanga City, which is two hours away from the GSIS Zamboanga branch office.
“Now you can save both time and money for travel expense because you don’t have to go to the Zamboanga branch to check your membership records and apply for loans. Pensioners can also renew their active status using the kiosk and their eCard,” the pension fund chief said.
On Saturday, APGM Macasaet likewise installed a kiosk at the KCC Mall bringing the total number of kiosks in Zamboanga City to eight – one each in Vitali, Curuan, Ayala, KCC Mall, and four units in the GSIS Zamboanga branch in Baliwasan.
Kiosks are further deployed in selected agencies in Basilan and Zamboanga and “even as far as Tawi-Tawi.” These kiosks serve close to 50,000 GSIS active members and pensioners in the region.
GSIS has made available more than 900 kiosks across the country which are installed in big government agencies such as the Department of Education, city halls, selected municipalities, and provincial capitols, several SM and Robinsons malls, as well as 56 GSIS branch offices.
APGM Macasaet also informed the crowd that GSIS continues to harness technological advances to provide greater convenience to its stakeholders.
“Next month, we will pilot the GSIS mobile app and launch it within the year. This app will allow you to access your data and our services at the tip of your fingers using your cell phone.”
Macasaet said that through the mobile app, members can take out a salary loan, view their loan balance and even file for a motor vehicle insurance claim.
“This is our next step to provide our members and pensioners ‘anytime, anywhere’ access to all our products and services.”
APGM Macasaet also signed on Friday a memorandum of agreement with the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology to implement the expanded GSIS Financial Assistance Loan or GFAL II for 247 members of the college.
Originally offered to teaching and nonteaching personnel of DepEd, GFAL II has been extended to the rest of GSIS members effective July 29, 2019 as a result of their strong clamor. Since its launch, a total of 1,689 agencies and local government units have signed up agreements with the pension fund to enable their employees to enjoy its benefits of lower interest of 6% and the longer repayment period of six years.
The program is GSIS’s response to the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to help free government employees from the clutches of lending institutions who practice schemes such as '5-6', which are often tied with hefty double-digit interest rates.
Under GFAL, GSIS members may transfer their loan of up to Php500,000, to the pension fund from lending institutions, such as government banks and cooperatives that are duly accredited by their agencies.
“However, if a member’s total loan with the lending institution is below Php500,000, the balance may be applied for as Top-Up Loan, with the proceeds directly payable to the borrowers through check,” Macasaet said.
“We introduced the Top-Up Loan to help GFAL borrowers augment their funds to defray for their other needs. Instead of running to private lenders for a fresh loan, members are instead advised to optimize their GFAL and take advantage of the lower rate and longer payment terms,” Macasaet added.
To date, nearly 200,000 members have availed themselves of GFAL bringing the total loan disbursement to Php80 billion. In Zamboanga alone, nearly Php1.3 billion was released by the pension fund benefiting over 3,000 members.