CHIZ CALLS FOR 5 MORE DEPED REPS IN GSIS BOARD

Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday pushed for the passage of a bill amending the GSIS charter to increase to five the number of seats for the Department of Education (DepEd) in the board of trustees of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

"Our teachers must be given a greater representation in the GSIS. This will give them more power in formulating policies in the use of the financial resources of the GSIS," he said.

"They work for very little pay, their benefits are always delayed, and they work under very horrible conditions. Let us not delay this any longer," said Escudero, who authored Senate Bill 3172.

He pointed out that more than half a million teachers and DepEd personnel represent about 40 percent of the 1.4 million total membership of state-run GSIS.

The bill also proposes to that the basis for the computation of service should be the date of appointment and not the date of first payment of GSIS premiums. It also puts a cap on the interest penalties for delayed payments to 2 percent.

Escudero, whose parents are former teachers, also wants to double funeral benefits to P24,000 for each GSIS member, which will be further increased to 35,000 in five years.

He also wants to increase the criminal liabilities for those who defraud the GSIS or fail to comply with the provisions of the GSIS law.