From digital services to disaster-ready LGUs: GSIS pushes reforms nationwide

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) continues to accelerate its transformation across the country through major initiatives focused on modernizing services, strengthening stakeholder engagement, supporting public education, and building disaster-resilient local governments.

In Zamboanga City, GSIS formally opened its newly renovated branch office and launched a Digital Business Center to streamline services for nearly 48,000 members and pensioners in the region. GSIS President and General Manager (PGM) Wick Veloso led the inauguration of the upgraded facilities, which aim to handle the increasing volume of transactions from 187 remitting agencies.

With the GSIS now 99.6 percent digitalized, the Digital Business Center bridges technology-driven platforms with traditional walk-in processes. While the GSIS Touch mobile app makes remote filing possible, the new center supports members who may find digital tools difficult to navigate.

“We realized that to serve you better, we had to change how we operate,” PGM Veloso said. “This is why we built the Digital Business Center. It complements the GSIS Touch mobile app, which remains the core of our digitalization journey.”

Veloso also inspected the Basilan Extension Office, which has served around 7,000 members and pensioners for two decades, and met with stakeholders from national agencies, local government, and private institutions. Zamboanga City Mayor Khymer Adan T. Olaso expressed support for GSIS’s expanding reach, saying, “I am very thankful to GSIS for continuously and actively serving the people of Zamboanga, not only Zamboanga City, but the entire peninsula.”

Beyond facility upgrades, Veloso emphasized that reforms aim to restore dignity and convenience to service delivery. “Every claim processed within these walls helps a family. Every loan granted builds a home or sends a child to school,” he said. “Here in Zamboanga, we are committed to prove that government service can be modern, efficient, and compassionate.”

The GSIS chief’s leadership was also recognized on the national stage, as PGM Veloso received the Financial Management Excellence Award at BizNewsAsia’s 24th Anniversary Awards Ceremony on November 25. He was cited for leading GSIS to become the country’s most profitable government-owned and controlled corporation and for fiscal reforms that strengthened the pension fund’s financial stability. First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos led the conferment of the Golden Excellence Trophies to awardees for management performance, innovation, and contributions to national development.

During his visit to Isabela City, Basilan, Veloso also led a stakeholders’ dialogue with teaching personnel of Basilan National High School (BNHS). Teachers raised concerns including the resumption of dividends and enhancements to the GSIS Educational Subsidy Program (GESP), such as expanding coverage beyond direct children and extending eligibility to all college year levels. In recognition of BNHS’s needs as one of the largest secondary schools in the region with around 8,000 students, Veloso endorsed its evaluation for inclusion in the agency’s 2026 Adopt-A-School Program, which provides technology and learning support to underserved public schools.

Meanwhile in Iloilo City, the GSIS recognized 82 local government units nationwide for strong disaster preparedness and compliance with government property insurance requirements during the 2025 Seal of Protection Awards — the first time the ceremony was held outside Metro Manila. “You have chosen preparedness. You have chosen your constituents’ welfare. And your communities are safer because of it,” Veloso said in a message delivered by Executive Vice President Jason Teng.

This year’s Gold Awardees include leading LGUs such as Valenzuela, Quezon City, Davao City, Pasig City, Makati City, Iloilo City, and the Provincial Government of Albay. Makati and Pasig were also named Hall of Famers for sustaining Gold recognition for three consecutive cycles. GSIS likewise recognized five institutions for advancing protection of government properties and insurable interests: the Japan International Cooperation Agency; Asian Development Bank; Department of the Interior and Local Government; Clark Development Corporation; and Iloilo City.

The Seal of Protection supports Republic Act 656 on the mandatory insurance of government properties, with GSIS noting that the growing number of compliant LGUs underscores progress toward resilient and accountable local governance.

Across branch modernization, financial stewardship, community engagement, school support, and public asset protection, GSIS initiatives reinforce what Veloso describes as a member-focused direction for the pension fund: modern, efficient, and compassionate government service.