The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has allocated more than P2.8 billion in emergency loans for members affected by a recent typhoon and by mosquito-borne diseases in nine towns and provinces in Luzon and the Visayas that had been placed under a state of calamity.

The loan is available to around 87,000 active members, including senior citizens and persons with disability, who work or reside in the affected areas: Batanes, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Mountain Province, Palawan, Northern Samar, Dingle in Iloilo, Hinigaran in Negros Occidental and Vinzons in Camarines Norte.

Members and pensioners with outstanding emergency loan balances can borrow up to P40,000, which can be used to settle previous loans, with a net amount of P20,000 available for other expenses.

Those without existing loans may borrow up to P20,000. The loan carries an interest rate of six percent per annum and is payable over three years.

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

Additionally, they must have a net take-home pay of at least P5,000. Senior citizens and persons with disability can also avail of the emergency loan, provided their net monthly pension is at least 25 percent of their basic monthly pension after loan deductions.

The deadlines for loan applications are as follows: 5 November for Ilocos Norte; 7 November for Northern Samar, Dingle in Iloilo, and Hinigaran in Negros Occidental; 24 December for Vinzons in Camarines Norte; 6 January for Palawan and Mountain Province; 7 January for Batanes; and 16 January for Cagayan province.

Qualified borrowers are encouraged to submit their loan applications via the GSIS Touch Mobile app.

Last month, typhoon “Yagi,” also known as Enteng, affected several provinces in Luzon and the Visayas, impacting over 700,000 families and causing damage to agriculture and infrastructure valued at P1.36 billion, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.