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The GSIS Building is the headquarters of the
Government Service Insurance System The Government Service Insurance System ( fil, Paseguruhan ng mga Naglilingkod sa Pamahalaan, abbreviated as GSIS) is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) of the Philippines. Created by Commonwealth Act No. 186 and Republic Act ...
(GSIS), the corporation that handles social security of the employees of the
government of the Philippines The Government of the Philippines ( fil, Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas) has three interdependent branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The Philippines is governed as a unitary state under a presidential representative and d ...
. Located in
Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...
, it is also the seat of the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
.


Old building

The original headquarters of the GSIS was on Arroceros Street,
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
. Built in 1957, it was designed by
Federico Ilustre Federico Ilustre (1912–1989) was a Filipino architect who worked for the Bureau of Public Works (now the Department of Public Works and Highways). It was during his tenure as consulting architect that some of the country's prominent postwar arch ...
. Gerald Lico said that it "adhered to a stylistic tendency that stood at the intersection between Neoclassical and modern aesthetics" in his book ''Arkitekturang Filipino''. In 2017, it was reported it much of the structure will be demolished, save for the facade. The Manila Hall of Justice will be built in its place. Two years earlier, it was proposed to be used as a homeless shelter.


New building

The new headquarters in Pasay was designed by Jorge Ramos. The Senate transferred to the GSIS Building in 1997, after sitting at the Old Congress Building in Manila. President
Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice preside ...
, comparing the Old Congress Building and the GSIS building, said that the latter looks like a bank, while the former had character and ambiance.


Usage by the GSIS

The GSIS houses a museum, the GSIS Museo ng Sining, in the building. Its theater hosted the funeral of former Senate President
Jovito Salonga Jovito "Jovy" Reyes Salonga, KGCR (; June 22, 1920 – March 10, 2016) was a Filipino politician and lawyer, as well as a leading opposition leader during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos from the declaration of martial law in 1972 until the P ...
in 2016.


Usage by the Senate

The Senate, which meets in a separate place from the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
which is in the
Batasang Pambansa Complex The Batasang Pambansa Complex, or simply the Batasan (), is the seat of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. It is located along the Batasan Road in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. The complex was initially the home of the Batasang Pa ...
, rents usage of the building from the GSIS. In 2009, Senator
Miriam Defensor Santiago Miriam Palma Defensor-Santiago (''née'' Defensor; June 15, 1945 – September 29, 2016) was a Filipino scholar, academic, lawyer, judge, author, and stateswoman who served in all three branches of the Philippine government: judicial, executiv ...
urged the Senate to build its own building, as they are paying 7.8 million pesos for the building and 500,000 pesos for the parking lot, every month. This totaled to almost 100 million pesos in a year. By 2017, Senator
Panfilo Lacson Panfilo "Ping" Morena Lacson Sr. (; born June 1, 1948) is a Filipino former politician and police general who served as a Senate of the Philippines, Senator for three terms: from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022. He was the Chief of the Phil ...
, who is also the chairman of the Committee on Accounts, said that the Senate has paid 2.24 billion pesos to the GSIS since 1996. Arguing that the Senate could've paid for a new building with this amount, there had been moves to find a new building for the Senate. The
Manila Film Center The Manila Film Center is a national building located at the southwest end of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay, Philippines. The structure was designed by architect Froilan Hong where its edifice is supported on more th ...
was suggested, but due to urban legends of it being haunted by the ghosts of the construction workers who died building it, the Senate decided to look for other options. Lacson spearheaded a successful vote approving the transfer of the Senate to a new building in
Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig ( fil, Lungsod ng Taguig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 886,722 people. Located in the northwestern shores of ...
. The Senate has its museum in the building.


Other usage

The
Philippine Olympic Committee The Philippine Olympic Committee Inc. (POC) is the National Olympic Committee of the Philippines. The POC is a private, non-governmental organization composed of and serve as the mother organization of all National Sports Associations (NSAs) i ...
announced that it will hold a special election for its officers in 2019 after meeting at the building.


References

{{Reflist Government buildings in the Philippines Buildings and structures in Pasay Legislative buildings Seats of national legislatures Senate of the Philippines