A BILL seeking to lower the minimum number of years for government employees to become eligible for the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) retirement benefits has been filed in the House of Representatives, a lawmaker said.
House Bill no. 3127, filed by Party-list Rep. Rolando L. Macasaet, seeks to shorten the mandatory requirement for retirement benefits to 10 years from 15 years, parallel to the required years under the Social Security System (SSS).
“By reducing the required years of contribution from 15 to 10, the bill harmonizes the GSIS contribution period with that of the SSS, which covers private-sector employees, thereby promoting parity between the two major pension systems,” Mr. Macasaet said in the explanatory note.
He said that the bill seeks to cover all active members of the GSIS from the date of effectivity.
The lawmaker added that the bill, which proposes to amend an almost 28-year-old law, seeks to determine whether there is a need to update the law to make retirement pension more accessible.
Members of the GSIS with at least 15 years of service are able entitled to retirement benefits, including a pension, even if they are below 60 years old, under Republic Act no. 8291, the GSIS Act of 1997.
In effect, he said, a government employee who intends to retire at the age of 60 should be in government service by 45 years old at the latest. To be entitled to a pension, the employee must be in uninterrupted and qualified government service.
“For many, this is not an easy feat to accomplish. Some take years before passing the Civil Service Examination and finding government employment that qualifies them under the GSIS retirement pension,” he added
Mr. Macasaet added that the bill also seeks to amend Presidential Decree No. 1146, which expanded the social security and insurance benefits for government employees.
The GSIS has about 2.74 million members and pensioners, with 2.1 million logged as active members while 636,453 are old-age and survivorship pensioners, as of March 2025.
“Realistically, of the 2.1 million active members, only a portion will complete the 15-year mandatory service requirement and qualify for retirement pension,” he said. — Adrian H. Halili