View source for GSIS Pagadian marks 15th year of service

*Source:http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1351458609862/gsis-pagadian-marks-15th-year-of-service
*Tuesday, March 22, 2016 
:By Claro A. Lanipa (ALT/CAL/PIA9-Zamboanga del Sur)

PAGADIAN CITY, 22 Mar (PIA) – The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) branch office here commemorated its 15th year anniversary last Friday with a simple celebration starting with an early morning thanksgiving mass at San Jose Parish Church, a motorcade around the city and a buffet breakfast at the GSIS office in Dao, this city.

Branch Manager Engr. Leoncito S. Manuel said the GSIS anniversary is being celebrated to highlight the accomplishments of the previous year.

“The best that ever happened is that our branch office was rated by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) as Excellent,” Engr. Manuel gladly announced.

“With all other government agencies in the country, we rank number nine (9) while in the entire GSIS bureaucracy, we rank second in the implementation of Republic Act 9485 better known as the  Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA),”Manuel added.

ARTA is an act to improve the efficiency in the delivery of government services to the public by reducing bureaucratic red tape and preventing graft and corruption.

When asked how strong and stable is the fund of GSIS, he replied, “at the moment, the actual life of GSIS is 37 years, meaning, for all of us who will be retiring, enjoying our maturity and pensions for the next 37 years,we are already assured that there is money,” he explained.

“But then, the challenge for us is to prepare for the next batch of government employees, so that they too will enjoy what we are enjoying now,” Manuel said.

He proudly announced that last year, GSIS made history by achieving its target of P1 billion worth in assets, including properties and cash, among others.

GSIS Pagadian branch caters two provinces; Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay with more or less 30,000 active members and pensioners including the judiciaries.

“This year we are putting-up more GW@PS kiosks in our area of responsibility. At the moment, there are 14 kiosks strategically installed in Pagadian City and the two provinces including Olutanga Island in Zamboanga Sibugay,” he said.

He also urged all partner agencies to always remit on time, not just for the existing members but for the next generation of GSIS members and pensioners.

Manuel expressed his gratitude to all local government units (LGUs) and government agencies for the trust they have given to GSIS over the years.

“We will do our best to improve our services to make it more friendly and more member-focused,” the youthful manager assured.