In 2008, Quirino Garidan Jr retired from government service after 15 years of teaching technical-vocational subjects at the Tarlac State University. As a retiree, he doesn’t have any other sources of income. He has nothing to tide him over for the rest of his life except for the retirement pay he’s supposed to receive from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
But seven months after filing his application for retirement benefits, he has yet to receive a single centavo from the government pension funds. Meanwhile, he needs to make do with whatever money he has now, an amount that no doubt is fast disappearing due, among others, to expensive medicines that he has to buy for himself and his wife.
But what is the cause of the delay in the release of his retirement benefits?
A few months before Mr Garidan’s 65th birthday on December 21, 2007, the TSU Board of Regents requested the Civil Service Commission to allow him to extend his service so that he would be able to complete 15 years of government service. (Under the GSIS Act of 1997, or Republic Act 8291, government employees are entitled to retirement benefits only if they have rendered 15 years of government service; otherwise, they are only entitled to separation benefits.) Since his length of service had been short by five months and 17 days, the extension is necessary in order for him to enjoy retirement benefits and not separation benefits.
In December 2007, the CSC, through a resolution, extended Mr Garidan’s government service until June 7, 2008.
On June 17, 2008, the TSU administration submitted to the GSIS Tarlac Field Office Mr Garidan’s application for retirement benefits including all necessary documents.
Since that time, Mr Garidan has visited the GSIS Field Office numerous times to inquire about the release of his retirement benefits. Sometimes he was alone; at other times he was accompanied by an HR officer of TSU. But each time, the response was always the same: “Pina-follow up po namin sa Main Office. Maghintay na lang po tayo.”
OK, fine, let’s wait. But for how long?
Meanwhile, Mr Garidan needs to eat. He needs to feed his wife and a daughter, who has lived with him since the day she was abandoned by her husband. He needs to feed his daughter’s three children and to send them to school.
He also needs to buy himself expensive medicines for his high blood pressure. He needs to buy medicines for his wife who is suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure.
Last year, his 69-year-old wife, Teofila, was rushed to the hospital. She was comatose for three days. To pay her hospital bills and to buy her take-home medicines, Mr Garidan mortgaged a prized possession: an old motorized tricycle.
In January this year, Mr Garidan collapsed while standing in front of a neighborhood store. Like his wife, he too was rushed to the hospital, where he stayed for more than a week. Again, he had to dig deep into his pocket to pay the bills.
“Hirap na hirap na ako,” he said as he tried to bottle up his emotion. (He failed at his attempt at stoicism; tears rolled down his cheeks before he could bury his face in his hands.)
So, to repeat our question, what is causing the delay in the release of Mr Garidan’s retirement benefits? We don’t know. We can’t know. Only the GSIS people know. Only they can know. (The GSIS people tell Mr Garidan it had something to do with the “extension of service” program that he had availed of. They also tell him his papers are still “under process” at the main office of the government pension funds.)
But whatever the reasons, the old man should get his retirement benefits. And the sooner the better. (For comments, please send email to russellarador@gmail.com.)
But seven months after filing his application for retirement benefits, he has yet to receive a single centavo from the government pension funds. Meanwhile, he needs to make do with whatever money he has now, an amount that no doubt is fast disappearing due, among others, to expensive medicines that he has to buy for himself and his wife.
But what is the cause of the delay in the release of his retirement benefits?
A few months before Mr Garidan’s 65th birthday on December 21, 2007, the TSU Board of Regents requested the Civil Service Commission to allow him to extend his service so that he would be able to complete 15 years of government service. (Under the GSIS Act of 1997, or Republic Act 8291, government employees are entitled to retirement benefits only if they have rendered 15 years of government service; otherwise, they are only entitled to separation benefits.) Since his length of service had been short by five months and 17 days, the extension is necessary in order for him to enjoy retirement benefits and not separation benefits.
In December 2007, the CSC, through a resolution, extended Mr Garidan’s government service until June 7, 2008.
On June 17, 2008, the TSU administration submitted to the GSIS Tarlac Field Office Mr Garidan’s application for retirement benefits including all necessary documents.
Since that time, Mr Garidan has visited the GSIS Field Office numerous times to inquire about the release of his retirement benefits. Sometimes he was alone; at other times he was accompanied by an HR officer of TSU. But each time, the response was always the same: “Pina-follow up po namin sa Main Office. Maghintay na lang po tayo.”
OK, fine, let’s wait. But for how long?
Meanwhile, Mr Garidan needs to eat. He needs to feed his wife and a daughter, who has lived with him since the day she was abandoned by her husband. He needs to feed his daughter’s three children and to send them to school.
He also needs to buy himself expensive medicines for his high blood pressure. He needs to buy medicines for his wife who is suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure.
Last year, his 69-year-old wife, Teofila, was rushed to the hospital. She was comatose for three days. To pay her hospital bills and to buy her take-home medicines, Mr Garidan mortgaged a prized possession: an old motorized tricycle.
In January this year, Mr Garidan collapsed while standing in front of a neighborhood store. Like his wife, he too was rushed to the hospital, where he stayed for more than a week. Again, he had to dig deep into his pocket to pay the bills.
“Hirap na hirap na ako,” he said as he tried to bottle up his emotion. (He failed at his attempt at stoicism; tears rolled down his cheeks before he could bury his face in his hands.)
So, to repeat our question, what is causing the delay in the release of Mr Garidan’s retirement benefits? We don’t know. We can’t know. Only the GSIS people know. Only they can know. (The GSIS people tell Mr Garidan it had something to do with the “extension of service” program that he had availed of. They also tell him his papers are still “under process” at the main office of the government pension funds.)
But whatever the reasons, the old man should get his retirement benefits. And the sooner the better. (For comments, please send email to russellarador@gmail.com.)
