GSIS General Manager Winston Garcia, despite issues of graft in the past, had turned the weak institution into one of the most profitable in the last few years.

As a professional manager, Garcia instituted genuine reforms - administratively and financially - and weeded out scores of fake pensioners.

His introduction of the eCard system of payment and verification is clothed with noble intentions but is still to be perfected. Unfortunately, these imperfections are what elderly pensioners cannot afford given their dependence on the pension funds to keep their body and soul together.

One day delay can be very costly and once a bank's ATM goes off line or the banking system goes awry, the poor pensioner may have to spend one more day - in travel and expense to get to the city banks. Or most of them think so.

It does not add consolation that there are GSIS officials and staff who are rude on top of the system imperfection. Consider a ranking government official (who did not introduce herself as such) who complained about the errant GSIS payment system who was told "The Bohol branch of the GSIS official will not dare tell off the imperial Manila GSIS Head Office, otherwise he might lose his job."

It seems they have lost their voice to protect the public in the fear of incurring the ire of the likes of Mr. Winston Garcia in Manila. Governor Erico Aumentado through the ULAP and the League of Governors had already asked assistance from President GMA regarding the matter but no solution is in sight yet.

People are clamoring to go back to the old manner of getting payments and verification through the old mano-mano system. Does this work better?

For many years, pensioners suffered months of delay in receiving their check or mail pilferage resulting in lost checks which are discounted by the greedy loan sharks waiting for their next victims at the sari-sari store. In addition, they had to wait for another three days to have their checks cleared or a week if they are regional checks.

But with the eCard Plus, pensions are deposited directly to the pensioner's eCard Plus ATM account every first working day of the month which they can withdraw from any of the 6,000 Bancnet, Megalink and Expressnet ATMs all over the country.

There is need to educate our pensioners, likewise, that offline in one branch can mean they can transfer to another bank since most ATMs accept the three Bancnet, Megalink and Expressnet. Is there at least not one ATM in every town in the province?

If not, it will just be a matter of time. Because bank executives are wise businessmen who know that using the ATM will give them fee-based income per usage and get the so-called "float" on the deposits which are not immediately withdrawn on the day of the depositing.

All things said, the eCard system will eventually be better than the old system. But like all changes, there will be resistance and some period of adjustment for the pensioners to be at home and enjoy the convenience thereof.

Until that time comes, it behooves the GSIS and the banks themselves to reeducate through road shows on the strength of the system and solutions to each problem that occurs along the way.

The fact that Unionbank does not charge a P20 deduction for the use of the ATM for withdrawal only means that the bank is already making "enough" money from the "floats" of thousands of pensioners while they are still inside their bank. The banks normally lend excess funds even at inter-bank rates of 5% overnight. The other banks probably think otherwise - and want to earn still more in fees than does Unionbank. It's a matter of business opinion and savvy.

In fairness, the GSIS had come up with an uncomplicated way to enroll in the eCard: just two valid IDs to their office and they get their eCard Plus. This enrollment process, in fact, allowed GSIS to weed out illegitimate survivorship pension claims which should benefit the integrity of the pension fund in the long run.

Very soon, with the use of the eCard Plus, pensioners can make annual verification process through the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System, sparing them the travel time and expense to go all the way to their servicing GSIS branch.

The e-Business has come of age - we can ignore it at our own peril. Pretty soon, bank payments and withdrawals through eCards will become an ordinary thing and we will order our goods and services through e-mail without getting off our desks and homes - and they are delivered pronto.

What we are saying is that the GSIS eCard Plus is a good instrument - like a gun - if used wisely due to correct knowledge, it can benefit the owner. Explained wrongly and with heartless frontliners answering consumer questions, it can be part of the Hate List of pensioners.

Such a pity because e-Business works. It has in all countries. We just have to perfect it and transmit the system effectively to our markets and people.

To the GSIS, that is your big challenge.