GSIS evicts restaurant after 12-year battle

MANILA, Philippines — State-run pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has regained its prime property after 12 years, effectively evicting a Chinese restaurant in Pasay.

GSIS, the pension fund for government workers and retirees, said it has reclaimed possession of Gloria Maris Shark’s Fin Restaurant, which it said illegally occupied GSIS property for 12 years.

The restaurant was ejected from the property over two days, from Sept. 12 to 14, after years of refusing to turn it over to the government despite long-standing court orders, the GSIS said.

The writ of execution and notice to vacate came from the Pasay Regional Trial Court (RTC) last month, effectively turning over the control and possession of the property to GSIS.

“After 12 years, the law has finally allowed us to recover the GSIS property through due process and we are now free to utilize the property for the interest of our members and pensioners,” GSIS president and general manager Wick Veloso said.

The lease contract between GSIS and Gloria Maris Pasay only covered the period January 2006 to December 2007.

Although the contract was not renewed in 2007, GSIS allowed the restaurant to continue using the property on a month-to-month lease from 2007 to June 2010 to give it sufficient time to relocate its business and cater to its advance bookings.

But when the supposed termination of the month-to-month lease in June 2010 came, Gloria Maris Pasay refused to surrender the property to GSIS.

Instead, it filed a case against GSIS and asked the court to extend the lease period to at least five years.

However, the RTC, Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court (SC) decided in favor of GSIS and ruled that after the termination of the lease contract, Gloria Maris’ demand to fix a longer lease period was misplaced.

Since the SC issued its ruling in 2019, the restaurant refused to turn over the property to GSIS, which prompted the pension fund to file an ejectment case.