DEPED, GSIS INK PACT TO ADDRESS TEACHERS’ CONCERNS

By Vergel Labesig

THE Department of Education on Monday signed an agreement with the Government Service Insurance System to provide better services to teachers.

A memorandum of agreement was signed by Education Secretary Sara Duterte and GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo Veloso.

Under the agreement, GSIS will establish express lanes exclusively for teachers and DepEd personnel in the GSIS central office and its regional offices.

“This is particularly useful for teachers assigned in rural or geographically-isolated areas who must travel for hours just to reach the nearest GSIS branch office,” Duterte said.

GSIS will also consider adding a Deped personnel-specific option to its hotline and assign account officers exclusively to address DepEd issues.

“Having a dedicated team of account officers will minimize the time needed to reconcile accounts and speed up the process of addressing premium-related discrepancies and loan-related issues,” Duterte added.

The GSIS also committed to hold annual dialogues to discuss and address GSIS concerns.

“This memorandum of agreement highlights our mutual recognition of teachers as nation-builders,” Duterte said.