The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) sealed a partnership that aims to unburden teachers and non-teaching personnel with “emotional distress.”
Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte said that the GSIS and DepEd’s “Partnership to Provide Ultimate Customer Experience to Teachers and Other DepEd Personnel” would also promote efficiency and effective service delivery in all GSIS transactions in all its branches.
The memorandum of agreement (MOA) will institute streamlined procedures and provide technical assistance to DepEd personnel in the Central and Regional Offices.
In her speech, Duterte recalled that the problem of teachers and other DepEd employees is one of the matters that she acted with “urgency” when she assumed office last year.
“I raised this with GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo ‘Wick’ Veloso in September 2022 during his oath taking,” Duterte recalled.
Duterte said that the MOA is part of their continuing effort in their partnership with GISIS “to address the concern of our employees.”
“This memorandum of agreement confirms our commitment to provide solution to the concerns of our employees and to move forward with our renewed institutional collaboration to best serve Filipinos and our country,” she said.
She stressed that some of employees’ concern are “older” than their children.
“Matagal na po talaga ang paulit-ulit nila na reklamo kaya tayo nagrequest ng dedicated hotline para masagot ang reklamo nila. Today, we take steps to unburden our employees from emotional distress. Nagpapasalamat kami kami sa mahabang period at mababang interest,” Duterte said.
The MOA, she said, highlights the mutual recognition of teachers “as our nation builders.”
Duterte said that the following are the initial steps toward facilitating easier and more direct access to GSIS services for teachers, and other DepEd personnel:
- GSIS is establishing express lanes for them
- GSIS will look into adding DepEd personnel specific option to their hotline
- GSIS will designate account officer exclusively working on DepEd issues
“DepEd personnel are composed of more than half of the GSIS membership that is why we are really passionate about pursuing with dialogues and coming up with solutions to the problems that we see in our school level,” Duterte stressed.
