Close to 350,000 old-age and disability pensioners of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) are scheduled to receive P3bn in Christmas gift starting December 15, a top agency official announced here recently.
Rolando Ledesma Macasaet, Zamboanga-born GSIS chairman and acting president and general manager, disclosed here during his recent hometown visit that the pensioners so-called Christmas bonus “will be credited to their e-card a few days before December 25 so they can spend it in celebrating this joyous occasion with their families.”
Macasaet, who was appointed last year by President Rodrigo Duterte, revealed that entitled to receive the cash gift “are pensioners under Republic Act (RA) 8291, Presidential Decree 1146 and RA 660 who are receiving their regular monthly pension and are still living as of November 30, 2019.”
He said “suspended pensioners as of Nov 30, 2019 are also eligible to get the cash gift, provided they activate their status with the GSIS on or before April 30, 2020.”
According to Macasaet, pensioners whose 2018 Christmas gift was above P10,000 ”will receive an amount equivalent to one month current pension up to a maximum of P12,000, while those whose 2018 Yuletide cash gift was P10,000 and below will be granted one month current pension up to a maximum of P10,000.”
The GSIS chairman said “pensioners who resumed their regular monthly pension after Dec 31, 2018 (after the five-year guaranteed period) are entitled to one month current pension up to a maximum of P10,000.”
Not entitled to receive the Christmas cash incentive, Macasaet explained, “are basic survivorship pensioners, dependent pensioners, pensioners under RA 7699 (Portability Law) and those receiving pro-rata pension.”
Also not qualified to the benefit are retirees who got in advance their guaranteed pensions in the form of lump sums and who are still within the guaranteed period, and who will be resuming their regular monthly pensions after Dec. 31, 2019,” he said, adding that “new retirees between 2015 and 2019 who availed of immediate pension under RA 8291 will not yet receive the cash gift this year …as they will start getting their Christmas gift five years after their retirement date.”
Moreover, he said GSIS members who resigned or separated from government between 2006 and 2019 before reaching age 60 and who started receiving their regular monthly pension between 2015 and 2019 “will get the cash gift once they have been regular pensioners for at least five years.”
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