Ex-Ombudsman not qualified to sit on GSIS board – Veloso

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has issued a legal finding that one of its board members, former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, is not qualified to be a trustee as she was not a member of the government insurer at the time of her appointment in April last year.

In his letter to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin dated April 11, 2024, GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo Veloso submitted the findings of the GSIS “in relation to a whistleblowing complaint” against Gutierrez.

Veloso said the complaint was in the form of an anonymous email claiming that Gutierrez “failed to possess the mandatory qualifications required by the GSIS Charter (RA No. 8291) when she was appointed to the GSIS Board.”

Under Section 42 of the GSIS Charter, a recognized member of the legal profession who at the time of appointment is also a member of the GSIS may be appointed as trustee.

The complaint said Gutierrez was not a member of the GSIS at the time of her appointment as trustee.

Gutierrez has yet to comment on the issue.

Veloso in his letter also provided a timeline of the legal finding from the time the anonymous email was received on March 28, 2024.

He said he requested the GSIS Legal Services Group to prepare a study or briefer, a copy of which was sent to Bersamin.

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