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 highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people. Due to its location jus ...

, 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 populated ...

. 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 arc ...

. 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 presi ...

, 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 The GSIS Museo ng Sining (English: GSIS Museum of Art) or the GSIS Museum is an art museum in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines established in April 1996. It is located at the GSIS Building within the Financial Center Area of Bay City, Metro Manil ...

, 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, 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 Senator for three terms: from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022. He was the Director General of the Philippine National ...

, 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 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