SSS-GSIS Pensyonado Party-list Rep. Rolando Macasaet has filed a bill seeking to lower to 10 years the minimum number of years in service for a government employee to become a pensioner.

Currently, under Republic Act (RA) 8291, the GSIS Act of 1997, a person must have rendered at least 15 years of service, be at least 60 years old at the time of retirement, and not be a recipient of a monthly disability pension benefit, to be entitled to retirement benefits under the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). 

In a statement on Monday, Macasaet said there is an urgent need to revisit RA 8291 and determine whether the intentions of law are still served today by the 28-year-old provisions, or if they need to be updated to make retirement pension more accessible by the people. 

As of March 2025, GSIS has a total of 2,736,710 members and pensioners broken down as follows: 2,100,257 active members and 636,453 old-age and survivorship pensioners. 

“Realistically, of the 2,100,257 active members, only a portion will complete the 15-year mandatory service requirement and qualify for retirement pension,” he said. 

House Bill No. 3127 will make it easier for GSIS members to become pensioners by lowering it to 10 years for them to enjoy the fruits of their labor, similar to the 10 years’ worth of contribution under the Social Security System (SSS). 

“This bill seeks to amend the law and shorten the mandatory service requirement for a GSIS member to qualify for retirement pension from 15 to 10 years. 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,” Macasaet said.

GSIS PHOTO