Legitimate

In an interview with Bulatlat, Tinio said, “Our concerns are legitimate and we criticize Garcia based on his capacity as general manager and president of the GSIS.”

Tinio deemed, “This [filing of libel charges] is harassment against an ordinary teacher.”

Tinio said, “We are government employees voicing out our complaints to the GSIS but instead of heeding our demands, Garcia instead opted to use the resources of GSIS at his disposal to file criminal charges against me.”

Tinio said that Garcia’s counsel to the libel charges is a lawyer of the GSIS.

Tinio deemed the charges against him as an attack against the sector. “Teachers have been very vocal against the policies of GSIS which we deem as illegal and exploitative.”

He added, “We have been consistent since 2003 in exposing the policies of GSIS that are detrimental to the interest of its members.”

The ACT leader said they are not deterred by ‘Garcia’s harassment.’

Automatic deduction

Early this month, the group launched a campaign for the scrapping of the GSIS’ Claims and Loans Interdependency Policy (CLIP).

Tinio explained that the under the CLIP, the GSIS automatically deducts alleged arrears from the claims and benefits of its members.

Tinio said the automatic deduction policy tramples on the right of members to due process and in fact violates the GSIS law itself, referring to Republic Act 8291, the GSIS Act of 1997.

Section 41(w) of the said law stipulates that the GSIS Board of Trustees must file a legal action or suit before the proper court or body in order to recover any arrears incurred by its members.

“From the point of view of members, the law provides them with the protection of due process. The legal proceeding gives them an opportunity to challenge or disprove the claims being made by GSIS against them. On the other hand, the automatic deduction policy is unilateral, summary, and not subject to appeal. It violates the members’ right to due process,” Tinio asserted.

Under the said policy, Tinio added, members are made to pay for the erroneous database of the GSIS. “In most cases the so-called premiums in arrears are false, merely the result of their failure to post premium payments. Members are thus subjected to double deductions,” he said.

Tinio said their group will also file a lawsuit to nullify the automatic deduction policy. The ACT also called for refund of all deductions illegally made against members, and the prosecution of GSIS officials responsible for the said policy.(Bulatlat.com)

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