GSIS opens online application for COVID-19 emergency loan

State workers’ pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) on Thursday opened the online application for its COVID-19 Emergency Loan program.

This was announced by GSIS president and general manager Rolando Macasaet.

“Under the GSIS Emergency Loan program, our members and pensioners may take out a P20,000-loan, which is payable in three years at only 6% interest per annum. The loan is covered by an insurance, which deems the loan fully paid in case of the borrower’s demise,” Macasaet said in a statement.

To apply for the loan online, the borrower need to email the following requirements:

• Duly-accomplished Emergency Loan application form which is downloadable from the GSIS website 
• Picture or scanned copy of the borrower’s GSIS electronic card (eCard) or Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) card
• Photo of the borrower holding the filled-out application form. 

If the ecard or UMID card is not available, the borrower may submit two valid IDs.

The application form and requirements must be sent to the designated email address according to the members’ place of work or pensioners’ residence:

• For borrowers in the National Capital Region, including Quezon City and Cavite, the email address is: gsiscares@gsis.gov.ph 
• For those in North Luzon the email address is: gsisnorthluzon@gsis.gov.ph
• For South Luzon: gsissouthluzon@gsis.gov.ph
• For Visayas: gsisvisayas@gsis.gov.ph
• For Mindanao: gsismindanao@gsis.gov.ph

“Active members and pensioners with UMID cards may also apply through the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosks located in all GSIS branch and extension offices; provincial capitols; city halls; selected municipal offices; large government agencies such as the Department of Education; and several Robinsons and SM Malls,” Macasaet said.

The loan proceeds are electronically credited to the borrowers’ eCard or UMID card.

“This is the first time that GSIS is offering emergency loan on a national scale. Previously, emergency loan is offered by GSIS to declared calamity areas which are usually confined to a particular province or region. The last time GSIS offered a region-wide emergency loan was in 2013 when typhoon Yolanda struck almost all provinces in the Visayas. In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, GSIS disbursed a total of P5.2 billion in loans to members and pensioners in 2013,” Macasaet said.

All GSIS members of good standing are qualified to avail of the COVID-19 Emergency Loan, except those who are on leave without pay, incurred arrears in paying the mandatory life insurance contributions, or have unpaid loans for more than six months.

To ensure that borrowers would still have adequate take-home pay after availing of the loan, borrowers should have a minimum take-home pay of P5,000 following the deduction of monthly premium contributions and loan amortizations from their salary,  according to the GSIS.

Old-age and disability pensioners may likewise apply for the loan if the resulting net monthly pension after loan availment is at least 25% of their basic monthly pension, it said.

This is to ensure that there is still a considerable amount left for the pensioners’ usual monthly expenses, it added. — RSJ, GMA News