ILOILO City – The Department of Education (DepEd) Region 6 maintains it has not failed to remit contributions to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), despite a 2022 annual audit report from the Commission on Audit (COA) revealing that DepEd has yet to remit P4.47 billion in GSIS premium contributions and loan amortizations deducted from the salaries of its teaching and non-teaching staff.
The COA report indicated that non-remittance has impacted personnel throughout the DepEd central office and its 12 regional offices as of Dec. 31, 2022.
Auditors warned that this failure could lead to penalties or interest, potentially restricting employees’ access to GSIS privileges and benefits.
Region 6 alone is responsible for nearly half of the unremitted amount, totaling P2.19 billion, according to COA.
It is followed by Region 9 with P580.8 million, Region 5 with P508 million, Region 4-A with P200.56 million, and Region 3 with P435 million.
In its official statement, DepEd-6 clarified that it did not fail to remit GSIS contributions.
The issue, it explained, stemmed from a directive by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), as per Circular Letter No. 2020-6. This directive required the DBM to remit the Government Share directly for April-December 2020, resulting, according to DepEd-6, in an overstatement in accounts by P2.199 billion, which falsely suggested a failure to remit GSIS contributions.
To correct this, DepEd-6 said it adjusted its Books of Accounts with a Journal Entry Voucher, effective from 2023, reducing the apparent unremitted amount to P306 million.
The office is also actively collaborating with GSIS to reconcile records and has conducted workshops to resolve premium and loan-related concerns of employees.
Other DepEd offices with significant unremitted GSIS dues included the National Capital Region (P197 million), Region 4B (P137.97 million), Region 11 (P64.7 million), Region 12 (P56 million), and Region 13 (P54 million).
Regions 2, 7, 8, and 10, notably, have no unremitted GSIS dues.
The COA underscores the necessity of remitting monthly premium contributions on time to ensure employees can access all entitled privileges and benefits.
It has urged DepEd to ensure responsible personnel remit all withheld contributions and loan payments within established timelines to avoid penalties and enable employees to enjoy their benefits.
The COA also recommends imposing sanctions on those responsible for non-remittance.
Only seven DepEd regions responded to the COA’s findings. These regions have committed to actions such as issuing memos to expedite GSIS remittances, assigning trained personnel for handling GSIS matters, promptly updating premium contributions and employee records, and collecting and remitting due amounts to GSIS. (With a report from the GMA News)/PN
