GSIS eCard Plus holders reach 1.2 million
More than a million GSIS members and pensioners in the country are now proud owners of the eCard Plus, a smart card that offers a multitude of benefits, foremost of which is the opportunity to transact loans with the pension fund without even going to the GSIS office.
As of July 23, 2007, approximately just nine months after the eCard Plus was first launched, 82 percent of the total number of active members in the country or 1,099,519 active members out of a total membership base of 1,334,141 active members have already enrolled and received their eCard Plus.
On the other hand, 73 percent of the total number of old-age pensioners, or 85,803 out of a total of 123,465 old-age pensioners, have already enrolled and received their eCard Plus.
Meanwhile, out of the 81,315 survivorship pensioners, a total of 2,753 have already enrolled for the eCard Plus although their monthly pension payments are still currently being disbursed through checks.
The pension benefits of survivorship pensioners will be electronically credited to the eCard Plus by the latter part of the year or early 2008.
The eCard Plus was launched in October 1, 2006, coinciding with the intial rollout of the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GW@PS).
Working in synergy, the eCard Plus and the GW@PS kiosk serve as a virtual GSIS office wherein members can check their records in seconds and apply for loans in mere minutes, such as the P10,000 Cash Advance and the Consolidated Loan.
On the other hand, pensioners can use the eCard Plus and the GW@PS kiosk to renew their active status during their birth month, thus ensuring the continuous receipt of their monthly pension benefits.
The first beneficiaries of the eCard Plus and the GW@PS were members who are located in remote and island provinces, including Camiguin, Abra, Romblon, Coron, Masbate, Virac, Siquijor and Batanes.
Souce: GSIS Kawani, Vol. 1 No. 2, May - August 2007