Cruel GSIS deductions from retirement benefits
Inquirer
First Posted 00:54am (Mla time) 04/02/2007
Filed Under: Government, Retirement, Wages & Pensions
THIS IS RELATED TO THE LETTER OF ANTOnio N. Domingo of Laoag City. (Inquirer, 2/14/07) I am the president of the 10,000-strong Camarines Sur Teachers and Employees Association (Castea) Inc. As such, I have received similar complaints from members of our organization - teachers and retirees - but it is only now that I understood their outrage.
I received last January the proceeds of my matured policy. The voucher showed that I was charged the amount of P42,081.92 as premium in arrears, detailed as follows:
Personal share premium arrears: P4,067.37
Personal share interest: P6,024.73
Government share premium arrears: P12,264.26
Government share interest: P19,725.56
Total: P42,081.92
Almost all government employees who retired since Winston Garcia took over management of the Government Service Insurance System, complained about such deductions -from P60,000 to P80,000 - from their retirement benefits. Also noted were deductions for calamity loans of teacher-victims of Typhoons Milenyo and Reming.
Obviously, it is the Department of Education that failed to remit the right amount of personal and government shares to the GSIS. And now because of this negligence or incompetence, the interest has become bigger than the principal. By deducting from the teachers' retirement benefits the personal and government shares plus interest, the GSIS has been so cruel, sadistic and insensitive. Some teachers could only cry and others were at a point that "kulang na lang ang magwala sa GSIS office" (short of running amuck at the GSIS office) when they received their check for P20 or none at all, because they were "deficit pa nga," so they were told.
To emphasize, it is patently unfair to charge the unpaid personal and government shares to the retirees. These shares are supposed to be remitted by the government. The retirees, even during their active employment, had no control over the remittance of the funds. It was solely government's responsibility.
We deserve to be refunded the big amount. We are not responsible for the failure of the government to pay its obligations.
How do we get the amount back? Whom shall we call upon to come to the rescue of our poor teachers and retirees? The education secretary? The budget secretary? Our legislators? The President of the Republic? Please help us!
DELFINA B. OLA—O,
president,
Camarines Sur Teachers
and Employees Association (Castea) Inc.,
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