MANILA–The policy of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) requiring pensioners to present themselves at GSIS offices to let the latter know they are still alive would now be a thing of the past.

“We don’t want to impose unnecessary hardship to our more than 300,000 old-age and survivorship pensioners,” said GSIS president and general manager Robert G. Vergara.

Vergara signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the National Statistics Office (NSO) revoking the pension fund’s requirement for Annual Renewal of Active Status (ARAS).

Under the MOA, the GSIS will provide the NSO with an initial list of all its old-age and survivorship pensioners living in the country and a monthly report thereafter, which will serve as database for NSO.

The NSO will then match the data with its own records and submit to the pension fund, a report on who are already deceased or who have re-married, in the case of survivorship pensioners.

This will then be the basis of the GSIS in labeling or tagging the status of pensioner in its database.

However, pensioners living abroad will still be required to renew their active status via video call or through the use of Skype, a web-based software that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet free of charge.

Vergara said that the initiative is part of the continuing efforts of the GSIS to provide more responsive service to its members and pensioners.

Vergara advises pensioners who may have inquiries about the cancellation of ARAS to call the GSIS hotline at 479. 3645 or visit the nearest GSIS office.