Government Service Insurance System top officials yesterday assured that the complaints of government workers, particularly in the education sector against it shall be ironed out through regular dialogs between the agency and the Department of Education.

In a closed-door conference yesterday, DepEd and GSIS officials agreed that a two-way solution could best remedy the plight of government employees, who have tagged the agency as "oppressive."

"The members (of GSIS) should not be penalized," Field Operations Group Senior Vice President Alex Valencerina said after hearing the complaints of DepEd top-brass, including Schools Division Supt. for Bacolod Dr. Milagros Gonzales, her assistant Dr. Luisitio Escalona, and head of city secondary school principals, Jose Dayot.

District supervisors for Negros Occidental schools led by Dr. Eva Belicena also aired their grievances over excessive loan interests and surcharges, to delayed retirement claims, among others.

Two DepEd accountants also attended.

Aside from Valencerina, also present were GSIS manager for Surigao Pat Pingoy, and Bacolod field office head Ruth Hilado, along with chiefs of the housing claims, and loans departments of the local office.

It was agreed in their meeting that GSIS will host a regular dialog with DepEd representatives of Bacolod on the last week of the month of every quarter, and on the second week of the same period for Negros schools.

Hilado said her office will intensify information dissemination of GSIS policies and programs down to the localities, apart from its regular weekly radio program.

Valencerina admitted there are indeed problems which need to be addressed but assured teachers that by July this year, the GSIS will shift to a new system, and that, all errors on membership, posting and remittances, are now being corrected.

Roughly two-thirds of the GSIS membership are teachers.

He said that the cleansing of service records of teachers is now being undertaken by the DepEd through a scheme financed by the GSIS, so that by August, all records nationwide shall have been uploaded by their central office.

BENEFITS VS. INDEBTEDNESS

Valencerina clarified that benefits are different from indebtedness.

He said the 2 percent monthly interest is only on the life insurance, and not to the retirement premium, as many teachers apparently conceive.

Moreover, the Department of Budget and Management already paid in February yet about P3.2 billion to pay premiums of teachers from July 1997 to December 2003, and premiums before it, whether paid or not, are presumed already paid.

"But it is only the teachers' personal share, not the government share," Valencerina said.

On delayed retirement benefit claims, on the other hand, Hilado said many retirees suffer problems because of failure to comply with requirements, or correcting entries only when they are about to retire from the service.

She also assured members that GSIS has sufficient funds to answer for all obligations to its trustor-employees, including some 96,000 covered by the local field office.*GCT

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