Around 36,000 government employees are expected to troop to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS)-Laoag Branch, as the GSIS opened on April 13 an eCard enrollment center in the city.

This eCard enrollment center will accommodate the applications of government employees from Ilocos Norte, as well as from the neighboring provinces of Ilocos Sur, Kalinga, Apayao, and southern towns of Cagayan.

In the launching rites, held at the GSIS office last April 13, Ilocos Norte Governor Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said that with this project of the agency, government employees would experience the advantages of high technology.

“The convenience that it will bring about would be a great help to all the GSIS members, myself included,” Governor Marcos emphatically said.

According to Mrs. Zenaida Ferrer, GSIS vice president for Area 1, said that the move is part of the commitment made by GSIS President and General Manager Winston Garcia to prioritize distribution of eCards to members in the countryside.

The GSIS eCard serves as the official identification card of GSIS members. It is government-issued ID, which can be used for any legal transactions.

Mr. Pastorito Albano said that under the eCard system, GSIS members may file their application for a one-time cash advance of P5,000 over the GSIS eGranting facility on the internet. Upon approval, they can immediately withdraw the proceeds over 5,000 Bancnet, Megalink, and Expressnet automated teller machines.

He added that after the conclusion of this nationwide enrollment on eCard, all loans and claims can be applied for through the eGranting portal, and all proceeds will be credited to the eCard.

Earlier, the province have requested the GSIS to bring the said machines here because of the cost the province would bear if they send its employees to the nearest enrollment center located in Calasiao, Pangasinan.

Excel D. Guiang