ALIGNED with the on-going program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos to assist Filipinos affected by the El Nino, state pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) is allocating more than P4.3 billion in emergency loan for members and pensioners in 17 areas hit by the weather phenomenon.

A total of 185,107 active members as well as old-age and disability pensioners in Negros Oriental and Kabangkalan City and Valladolid in Negros Occidental may apply until June 14, 2024.

Those in San Vicente, Palawan may apply until June 15, 2024; in Carcar City and Compostela in Cebu and Iloilo on June 19; in Brooke’s Point in Palawan, San Agustin in Romblon, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and Sur, Special Geographic Area), Quezon and Pangantucan in Bukidnon and Tboli in South Cotabato until June 21, 2024.

Members and pensioners with existing emergency loan balance may borrow up to P40,000 to clear the balance of their previous emergency loan and receive a maximum net amount of P20,000.

Meanwhile, those without existing emergency loan may apply for a P20,000 loan.

To qualify for the GSIS Emergency Loan, active members must be working or residing in the calamity-declared areas, not be on unpaid leave, have no pending legal cases, have paid premiums within the last six months, and have a net take-home pay of not be lower than P5,000 per the General Appropriations Act.

Old-age and disability pensioners residing in the calamity areas may also avail of the loan provided their net monthly pension after availing of the loan is at least 25%.

The loan has a low interest of 6% and with a payment period of three years.

Members and pensioners may apply for the loan using the GSIS Touch mobile application, which may be downloaded from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

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I’m a living witness to the sacrifices teachers take in molding students into responsible and productive citizens because my parents are both teachers who were willing to go the extra mile to contribute to national development.

And I salute the government for recognizing those sacrifices.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. recently signed the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, which provides for higher yearly allowance for mentors. Indeed, the law is in recognition to the sacrifices of teachers over the years.

According to the President, the newly-approved law will ease some of the teachers’ personal financial burden, which they carry for the sake of students and their love of their profession.

“For decades, they have willingly taken on the burden of having to spend their own money on classroom supplies to aid them in teaching,” President Marcos said.

“It must take an incredible amount of love to sacrifice what little you have for the sake of your students despite having financial worries of your own,” he added. “With the passage of this law, we are easing some of the burden that you carry each day,” he pointed out.

In his speech at the ceremonial signing of the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, the President commended the teachers for wholeheartedly embracing their duties and responsibilities. He also thanked the House of Representatives and the Senate for working to pass the law.

“We listened, we persevered, and we took action,” President Marcos said. “They embraced this wholeheartedly as their responsibility, as part of their duty as teachers, as part of their vocation,” he stressed.

“So, at this point, I would like to convey my gratitude to our colleagues in the House of Representatives and of the Senate for pursuing this long-overdue increase,” he added.

The President urged his fellow workers in both Houses of Congress to continue working together to make laws and build foundations for Bagong Pilipinas.