The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) will make emergency loans available to members and pensioners affected by Tropical Storm Maymay and the enhanced southwest monsoon, once their localities are formally placed under a state of calamity. The pension fund announced the measure on Monday.
For public sector workers and retirees in flood- and rain-battered areas, the loan window offers a direct line to cash without waiting for other forms of disaster assistance to process. GSIS members are government employees, and this loan facility functions similarly to the emergency loan programs the fund has extended during past typhoons and calamities affecting the Philippines.
Under the program, members with an existing emergency loan may borrow up to ₱40,000, which will first be applied to their outstanding balance, with any remainder released to the borrower. Members without an existing emergency loan may borrow up to ₱20,000.
To qualify, active members must reside or work in a declared calamity area, remain in active service, and not be on leave without pay. They must also have no pending administrative or criminal case and must have paid premiums within the six months prior to applying. Borrowers are required to maintain a net take-home pay of at least ₱5,000 after loan deductions, in line with the General Appropriations Act.
Old-age and disability pensioners residing in declared calamity areas may also apply, provided their net monthly pension after loan deductions remains at least 25 percent of their basic monthly pension.
GSIS said the loan carries a 6 percent annual interest rate and is payable over three years.
Applications may be filed anytime through the GSIS Touch mobile app, available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Members and pensioners can also seek assistance through the GSIS website, contact center, email, and official social media channels.
The loan facility takes effect once a member’s locality is officially declared under a state of calamity, a status typically issued by local government units or the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council following significant damage from Maymay and the habagat.
