The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has opened its first full-time service desk in Romblon for the benefit of over 9,000 members and pensioners in the province.
This was made possible through a memorandum of agreement signed by GSIS, Romblon Governor Jose "Otik" Riano, and Romblon State University (RSU) President Merian Catajay-Mani on Thursday, Aug 11 at the GSIS head office in Pasay, GSIS said.
The state-run pension fund also noted that the newly established service desk was a response to President Ferdinand "Bong Bong" Marcos Jr.'s call for agencies to make government transactions closer and easier for the public.
"With the GSIS Romblon Service Desk, our 9,348 pensioners and members in Romblon will now enjoy the convenience of transacting with GSIS without having to leave their province," GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso said.
Veloso shared that residents in Romblon used to travel for 20 hours via ferry and spend around P5,000 to access the GSIS branch in Batangas, the nearest in the province.
The service desk, which is open eight hours a day from Monday to Friday, can accommodate the members' and pensioners' loan and claims applications, enrollment and claiming of eCard, updating of records, and compliance with the Annual Pensioners Information Revalidation.
"We thank RSU and the Provincial Government Office of Romblon for extending their resources so that we can serve our members closer to their homes," Veloso added.
The RSU offered GSIS a 60-square meter building located near the Odiongan municipal hall, Land Bank of the Philippines, RSU Hospital, Odiongan South Central Elementary School, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Philpost, and barangay halls.