HELPING Filipinos affected by calamities requires a whole-of-government approach.

This is why President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is rallying all government agencies to move as one to support our needy countrymen who were ravaged by Typhoon Carina and the Habagat.

Answering to the call of the President is the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

The GSIS has set aside P18.5 billion in emergency loans to assist 864,089 members and pensioners affected by Tropical Storm Carina and the southwest monsoon (Habagat) in Batangas, Rizal, and the National Capital Region (NCR).

These regions have been declared calamity areas. Members and pensioners may apply for the loan from July 26 to October 28, 2024.

The GSIS Emergency Loan program aims to provide immediate financial relief to its members and pensioners impacted by natural disasters.

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

Those without existing loans may apply for up to P20,000. The loan features a low interest rate of 6% per annum and a repayment period of three years.

To qualify for the emergency loan, active members must not be on unpaid leave, have no pending administrative or legal cases, and have made at least six monthly premium payments before applying.

Their net take-home pay should not be less than P5,000 as stipulated by the General Appropriations Act.

To be eligible for the loan, old-age and disability pensioners must have a net monthly pension that is at least 25% of their gross pension after deducting the amortization of the loan.

Eligible members may apply for the loan online through the GSIS Touch mobile app.

They may also file their application through the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosks located in all GSIS branches, major government offices such as the Department of Education, provincial capitols, city halls, municipal offices, and selected Robinson’s and SM malls.

Meanwhile, President Marcos Jr. recently asked the Department of Health (DOH) to ensure protection for the mental and physical health of evacuees in areas hit by Super Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon in Central Luzon.

“Mayroon po tayong mga health workers sa lahat ng evacuation center at will augment the local … ang priority nila [Governors] ay ang health. So may mga tao talaga doon sa evacuation center,” DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told President Marcos in a situation briefing in Bulacan.

Herbosa said they will also deploy “psychological first aid” teams for fisherfolk and farmers whose sources of income were destroyed by the typhoon.

“I think we need to support all of this kaya nanghingi ng ayuda pa iyan. Sometimes it is the stress of the effect sa kanilang kabuhayan, so magpadala tayo ng mga psychological first aid,” Herbosa told the President.

The President ordered the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to determine the farmers and fisherfolk requiring interventions.

The Labor Department was also told to extend assistance through its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program.

Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said some of the TUPAD beneficiaries were deployed to help the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) repack food items and to assist the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in its clearing operations.

Indeed, the whole-of-government approach is working.

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AUTHOR PROFILE

Mario Fetalino Jr.