In a letter to President Rodrigo Duterte, state pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President and General Manager Rolando Ledesma Macasaet reported that the state pension agency has already released the life insurance benefits plus the additional ₱500,000 under its Bayanihan Fund for Frontliners (BFF) to the families of four government frontliners who succumbed to the COVID-19 virus.
“GSIS recently released a total of Php7.8 million in life insurance benefits plus an additional Php2 million in BFF benefits to the legal heirs of four government medical frontliners who died of COVID-19. We are currently in the process of validating the insurance claims of 18 other claimant-families,” Macasaet said in his report.
In his letter, Macasaet also assured President Duterte that GSIS will accelerate the insurance claims process for the families of the COVID victims. “Once we have all the documentary requirements, we commit and we assure the President that GSIS will release their insurance checks within two working days,” he said in his letter. Macasaet added that GSIS is constantly coordinating with the Department of Health (DOH) to assist the claimants in obtaining the required documents in order to facilitate the release of their insurance claims within two days.
As GSIS members, all medical frontliners in government are covered by the compulsory life insurance program of GSIS. In addition to this, GSIS will grant an additional ₱500,000 under its Bayanihan Fund for Frontliners (BFF) to the families of public health employees who died while in the line of duty treating or serving COVID patients.
“Our BFF automatically covers all frontline workers in government who are providing assistance to COVID-19 patients in the Department of Health (DOH), hospitals, medical centers, treatment and rehabilitation centers, including hospitals administered by local government units (LGUs) and state universities and colleges (SUCs). The beneficiaries are not limited to doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers but extends to medical technologists and technicians, janitors, security guards, ambulance drivers and the like – so long as they can prove that their job involved regular exposure to COVID-positive patients,” Macasaet explained.
The BFF beneficiaries stand to receive an average of more than Php1 million each, including their GSIS regular life insurance.
“This is the least that we can do to show our appreciation to our modern-day heroes who risked their lives in the service of our nation,” Macasaet said.
For inquiries on the BFF program, concerned parties may visit the GSIS website (www.gsis.gov.ph); GSIS official Facebook page (@gsis.ph); email gsiscares@gsis.gov.ph; or call the GSIS Contact Center at 8847-4747 if in Metro Manila, 1-800-8-847-4747 (for Globe and TM subscribers) or 1-800-10-847-4747 (for Smart, Sun, and Talk ‘N Text subscribers).
