MANILA – Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) will begin distributing the 2021 Christmas cash gift amounting to PHP3.2 billion to its elderly and disabled pensioners beginning December 6.
Pensioners refer tthe benefit as their “Christmas bonus”.
“Sa kabila ng hinaharap nating pagsubok dahil sa pandemya, hangad naming makatulong pa rin sa pagbibigay ng masaya at maginhawang Pasko sa aming mga pensiyonado. Kaya naman siniguro ng GSIS Board na maaga ang ecrediting ng Christmas cash gift sa kanilang mga UMID card o eCard (Despite the challenges we are facing because of the pandemic, we want to still help in providing a merry and comfortable Christmas to our pensioners. That is why the GSIS Board has ensured the early ecrediting of Christmas cash gift in their UMID card o eCard),” GSIS president and general manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet said in a statement Thursday.
Pensioners who received more than PHP10,000 in cash gift in 2020 will be paid an amount equal to one-month’s current pension, up to a maximum of PHP12,600.
Those who received less than PHP10,000 in 2020 will get a cash gift equivalent to one-month’s existing pension, up to a maximum of PHP10,000.
For those who began their regular monthly pensions after December 31, 2020 (the end of the five-year guaranteed period) will receive a one-month current pension of up to PHP10,000.
Qualified to receive the cash gift are old-age or disability pensioners who are living as of Nov. 30, 2021 and retired under Republic Act (RA) No. 8291 (GSIS Act of 1997), Presidential Decree No. 1146, and RA 660 (Magic 87).
Those who have their status suspended owing to non-compliance with the Annual Pensioners Information Revalidation (APIR) will be eligible for the cash gift if they activate their status on or before April 30, 2022.
Survivorship pensioners, dependent pensioners, pensioners under RA 7699 (Portability Law), and those receiving pro-rata pension are not eligible for the Christmas cash gift.
New retirees who received an immediate pension under RA 8291 from 2017 up to 2021 will get their first annual Christmas cash gift five years after their retirement date.
Retirees who availed of the five-year lump sum will be eligible for the benefit after the five-year assured period or when they begin collecting their monthly pension.
Meanwhile, members who were separated from service from 2006 to 2021 before reaching the age of 60 and who started receiving their regular monthly pension between 2017 and 2021 will be entitled to the cash gift once they have been regular pensioners for at least five years.
