GSIS INCOMPETENCE CONTINUES....

Just as we thought...the GSIS incompetence continues.

Almost two weeks after the March 9, 2007 GSIS eCard enrollment disaster, the Philippine Consulate General in New York is left with a lemon. They have a self-service kiosk that continues to have technical problems, and no end is in sight.

We have called the Consulate twice to try to make an appointment, but the best they could tell us is to wait for their call. In other words, don't call us, we'll call you.

The second time we called, the Consulate employee who picked up our call said that the machine was not working and that, by her best estimate, they would be able to see us only after three weeks.

Now the BIG question is, is the GSIS going to give pensioners the interest that their money earns while their monthly pension is being withheld pending their enrollment in the eCard?

More important, what about those who depend on their monthly pension to help support the loved ones they have left behind in the Philippines? Is GSIS going to bridge the gap while the pensioners are left with no other recourse but to wait for their turn?

We have read some horror stories on the Internet about the ordeal that pensioners back home are going through as a result of the ill-conceived eCard of one bureaucratic and petty tyrant who goes by the name Winston Garcia.

In Iloilo, for example, there is a pending case filed against the GSIS because of its failure to deliver on its promises to pensioners. The eCard, according to news reports, is being rejected by some banks which have posted a sign saying they do not accept the eCard.

Now, having known full well that the eCard is a piece of garbage, why does Garcia continue to insist with his folly?