300 teachers want refund from GSIS

Some 300 public school teachers, mostly retirees, trooped to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) main office yesterday to file their individual claims for a “refund” on alleged illegal deductions made on their retirement benefits.

Arsenio Jallorina, president of the Manila Public School Teachers Association (MPSTA), said the retirees will closely monitor GSIS’ response to their refund claims because there was no reason for the state workers’ fund to delay on the release of the benefits.

Jallorina said the refund, which ranged from P10,000 to P50,000 per active or retired teacher, was due to the 2007 GSIS-Department of Budget and Management joint memorandum circular signed by DBM Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. and GSIS president and general manager Winston Garcia.

“The government was liable for the non-payment of its share in premium contributions for two years, yet Garcia deducted the amount from the poor members’ supposed maturity and retirement benefits.” Jallorina said.

“Now that the government, through DBM, has settled its liability, the GSIS refuses to refund the amount it deducted from the teachers,” he added.

The teachers wrote Garcia last week about the MPSTA’s plan to file refund claims en masse.

Melchor Cayabyab, secretary general of the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, challenged the GSIS to finally comply with their agreement with the DBM, which limits the processing of a member’s request to 10 days.

“We challenge the GSIS to abide by the provisions of the joint memorandum by immediately releasing the payment for the refund before Christmas,” Cayab­yab said. – Rainier Allan Ronda