Senator Risa Hontiveros has proven time and again that when it comes to exposing corruption, she will not be sidelined.  She boldly unmasked Alice Guo, a Chinese national posing as a Filipino mayor and key figure in POGO-linked human trafficking and money laundering. Her revelations ignited probes into a sprawling criminal network and ultimately led to the nationwide ban on POGOs.

Now, she has turned her sights on the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS),  which manages the pensions of 2.7 million public servants. In a privilege speech on August 6, Hontiveros exposed GSIS’s questionable P1-billion investment in DigiPlus — bought at P65.30 per share but now worth only P13.68. She also pointed to risky, unauthorized deals with heavily indebted companies like Alternergy and Del Monte, leading to losses of over P251 million — a clear breach of its duty to protect members’ funds. 

 What I also hoped to hear from Senator Hontiveros was how GSIS has withheld dividends from its members since 2020 without any clear explanation. Some employees I spoke with said the agency merely cited the pandemic as an excuse. One government worker recalled receiving around P700 annually, but in 2019 — the last year GSIS released dividends — that amount dropped to P50 or less.

 The Senate quickly responded to Hontiveros’s exposé. Senator Tulfo vowed to launch a formal inquiry into the DigiPlus deal, citing possible kickbacks. Senator Marcos pointed to her own resolution to investigate five GSIS investments, including DigiPlus and Lehman-linked funds. Senator Padilla expressed support for the public servants affected. 

From the Guo case to GSIS, Hontiveros’s spotlight spares no one. Her message is clear: pension funds are safety nets, not gambling chips, and Congress must act quickly by amending the GSIS Charter.