GSIS pensioner oldest at 117?

A man believed to be the world’s oldest living person has proved he is still alive and kicking and thus eligible to receive his government pension for another year.

Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) vice president for legal and corporate affairs Estrella Elamparo told The STAR yesterday that it would continue to pay 117-year-old Bienvenido P. Cancero his P2,208.57 monthly pension, after he proved he was alive by appearing at the GSIS office to have his photo and fingerprints taken.

She said pensioners who personally appear at their local GSIS office and gave their fingerprints could receive the pension.

Data at the GSIS computer center shows that Cancero was born on Jan. 31, 1890, which makes him three years older than the officially recognized oldest woman in the world – Elena Parker of the US – who was born on April 20, 1893.

Details of Cancero’s work history and birthplace are not yet available, but Elamparo said that he was one of more than one million retirees receiving pensions from GSIS.

Pasong Tamo resident Ismael Sarmiento, 97, also continues to receive a monthly pension of over P3,000 as a retired government employee.

Sarmiento’s grandson Alex Sarmiento said his grandfather had just had his yearly photo and fingerprint session at the GSIS office in Quezon City.

“Despite his age my grandpa is very active and has no sign of illness,” he said.

Elamparo said the yearly fingerprint and photo session was very effective in purging fictitious and dead pensioners from the pension list, and by computerizing the system the GSIS was able to stop over one million illegal or ineligible pensions in 2003.

Sometimes relatives of dead retirees would not report the death in order to illegally continue receiving the pension.