Gov’t releases P891 M to settle ARMM teachers’ GSIS contributions

MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino administration has released P891.4 million to settle the unpaid Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) premium contributions of  29,010 teaching personnel in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The release is pursuant to the Supplemental Memorandum of Agreement signed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), GSIS, and the Department of Education last June 11.

“We are very pleased to announce that we are beginning the process of settling all unpaid GSIS contributions of our teachers in the ARMM region. This latest fund release sets into motion the delivery of the full range of benefits offered by the GSIS to these employees,” said Budget secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad.

The DBM will also release another P100 million within one year from the MOA signing to completely settle the GSIS contribution backlog.

Of the P891.4-million release, P543.9 million was sourced from the Retirement and Life insurance Premiums (RLIP) and the remaining P347.5 million from the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF), both under the 2014 General Appropriation’s Act (GAA).

The DBM reiterated that the supplemental MOA is an offshoot of the previously signed tripartite agreement by the three agencies in March 2004. The agreement formalized the assurance of DepEd-ARMM to pay their obligations to GSIS within 15 years from the date of signing.

 “Teachers comprise a large percentage of the ARMM workforce, and are therefore the region’s major economic drivers. Besides recognizing the value of DepEd staff-whether they’re teachers or not-the clearing of their GSIS arrears is all a matter of fairness, where government workers receive what is due them,” Abad said.