The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) said Friday it is discontinuing the production of the Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) cards as it migrates to digital platforms.
In a media briefing here, GSIS-Cagayan de Oro branch manager Erwin Casicas said the shift was due to the launching of the GSIS Touch, a digital application where most transactions can be done.
“(In the meantime), we will have a temporary card in tandem with this GSIS touch, so the clients will have an alternative method other than using UMID,” he said.
Through GSIS Touch, any member or pensioner can simply transact from the comfort of their homes.
Currently, Casicas said there are 476,652 active GSIS members nationwide who are using the new mobile program.
Aside from their records, active GSIS members could also generate tentative computations of their loan and claim benefits, and submit loan and benefit applications.
The GSIS Touch also provides access to the online Guide to Transactions and Processes, the first electronic citizen’s charter in the Philippine government.
GSIS Vice President for Mindanao Office Vilma Fuentes said the program was conceived in response to the pandemic, specifically when members were not permitted to go to the offices due to strict health protocols.
“We made sure the system is secure so that the personal records of our members will not be compromised,” she said.
As for the approval of loans and claim benefits, Fuentes said it would only take three days upon the approval of the agency-authorized officer for the transactions to be credited to the member’s account.
Source: Philippines News Agency