By Eileen Mencias
The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has opened applications for an expanded loan refund program that allows qualified members and pensioners to recover up to six months of eligible loan amortizations paid between December 2025 and May 2026.
Applications for the Balik Ginhawa 2 program may be submitted through the GSIS Touch mobile app from July 1 to Oct. 31, 2026. Approved refunds will be credited directly to the member’s designated GSIS bank account.
GSIS president and general manager Jose Arnulfo “Wick” Veloso said the expanded program aims to provide additional financial relief to borrowers.
The program covers active loan accounts, including housing loans, but excludes loans under the GSIS Ginhawa Green Loans Program, such as the Ginhawa Solar Energy Loan and the Ginhawa Bike and E-Mobility Loan.
GSIS said refunds received under the first phase of Balik Ginhawa will be deducted from the total amount that members may claim under the expanded program.
Borrowers who received less than the full three-month refund under Balik Ginhawa 1 may still recover the remaining eligible amount for those months, along with up to three additional months of loan amortizations, subject to an overall cap of six monthly payments.
The pension fund said participation is voluntary and requires members to submit an application through the GSIS Touch app.
Veloso said refunded amortizations would not be treated as loan arrears even if they appear as unpaid in borrowers’ loan records.
Borrowers are not eligible if their loan accounts have already been classified as due and demandable, have unpaid amortizations equivalent to more than six months, or have been fully paid or renewed. Members with pending or processed retirement or separation benefit claims at the time of application, as well as those without a designated GSIS bank account, are also excluded.
GSIS said advance payments made before a loan’s first due date are not refundable because they are treated as direct payments to the loan principal rather than monthly amortizations.
Members and pensioners may check their loan status and refund eligibility through the GSIS Touch app.
