By Chino S. Leyco
Old-age and disability pensioners of Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) will start receiving their Christmas cash gift this coming Sunday.
In a statement, Rolando Ledesma Macasaet, GSIS chairman, said that about P3.12 billion will be distributed to their 324,348 pensioners beginning December 15 this year.
Entitled to receive the Christmas cash gift are active old-age and disability pensioners who are receiving their regularly monthly pension and are still living as of 30 November 2019.
Suspended pensioners beginning November 30 are also eligible to receive the cash gift, but they need to activate their status with GSIS on or before April 30 next year.
“We made sure that it will be credited to their ecard a few days before Christmas day so they can spend it in celebrating this joyous occasion with their families,” said Macasaet, who is also GSIS acting president and general Manager
Pensioners whose 2018 Christmas cash gift was above P10,000, they will receive an amount equivalent to their one month pension but not more than P12,600.
On the other hand, those whose 2018 Christmas cash gift was P10,000 and below, they will be granted one month pension up to a maximum of P10,000.
Pensioners who resumed their regular monthly pension after December 31 last year will be granted one month current pension up to a maximum of P10,000.
Not qualified to receive the Christmas cash gift are basic survivorship pensioners, dependent pensioners, pensioners under the portability law and those receiving pro-rata pension.
Retirees who received in advance their guaranteed pensions in the form of lump sums, who are still within the guaranteed period, and who will be resuming their regular monthly pensions after December 31, 2019 are also not entitled to the benefit.
Likewise, new retirees between 2015 and 2019 who availed of immediate pension will not yet receive the cash gift this year. They will start receiving their Christmas cash gift five years after their retirement date.