GSIS backs KALINGA bill, cites PHP 12.2-B in crisis relief already delivered

House of Representatives, Quezon City. The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) today expressed full support for House Bill No. 8834, entitled the KALINGA Act of 2026, before the House Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Energy Action and Development (LEAD Committee), citing the institution’s track record of rapid, member and pensioner-centered relief during the national energy emergency as evidence of its readiness to support a whole-of-government response.

GSIS President and General Manager Wick Veloso presented the GSIS position before the committee, noting that the bill’s objectives of stabilizing energy prices, securing essential goods, and protecting low-income families and essential workers are consistent with the relief architecture the GSIS has already deployed.

“At the height of the fuel price spikes and following the declaration of a national energy emergency by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., the GSIS moved quickly,” Veloso said. “We did not wait for legislation. We acted within our mandate, and the results are measurable.”

The GSIS has implemented three programs since the emergency was declared. The Balik Ginhawa loan moratorium returned nearly PHP 9 billion to 562,000 members. The GSIS Solar Emergency Loan, or GSEL, has been availed of by more than 10,000 members for a total of approximately PHP 3.1 billion, helping households reduce electricity costs through solar installations.

The Ginhawa Bike and E-Mobility Loan, launched just yesterday, has already drawn more than 1,000 applicants representing PHP 133 million in applications, aimed at reducing transportation costs as fuel prices remain elevated.

Collectively, the three programs represent approximately PHP 12.2 billion in committed relief to government employees and pensioners.

Veloso told the committee that the GSEL and GBEL, in particular, are designed to produce long-term savings for members, not just immediate liquidity. “Balik Ginhawa addresses the emergency now. GSEL and GBEL help members manage costs over time. That distinction matters,” he said.

The PGM also reaffirmed that all GSIS relief measures are anchored in its fiduciary mandate under Republic Act No. 8291, the GSIS Charter, which requires the institution to preserve fund integrity and protect the retirement security of its 2.1 million members and safeguard the benefits of its more than 600,000 pensioners. GSIS’s participation in any expanded government framework will be governed by those same principles.

“The GSIS is ready to work with this committee and with the government to make sure our lingkod-bayan are protected. We will do that, and we will do it responsibly,” Veloso said.

Authored by Speaker Bojie Dy and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos III, the proposed KALINGA Act of 2026 seeks to establish a national emergency response framework to address fuel-driven inflation, ensure energy security, and deliver targeted assistance to vulnerable sectors.

The bill is being deliberated by the LEAD Committee, chaired by Rep. Miro Quimbo, which was created in April 2026 to consolidate 13 House panels and fast-track a coordinated legislative response to the oil price crisis triggered by Middle East tensions.