2.96 million seniors receive social pension – DSWD

MANILA, Philippines, June 18 ------ Up to 2.96 million indigent senior citizens nationwide have received their social pension for the first and second quarters of this year, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). As of May 31, up to 2.2 million elderly received their pension amounting to P3,000 each for the first quarter of the year, Edmund Monteverde, DSWD’s protective service bureau chief, said.

Another 751,022 senior citizens received P6,000 each covering the first and second quarters, Monteverde said. “We want to ensure that our senior citizens, especially the indigent and vulnerable, are able to meet their basic daily needs through this support from the government,” he said.

Republic Act 11916 or “An Act Increasing the Social Pension of Senior Citizens” provides that starting January 2024, indigent senior citizens are entitled to a monthly stipend of P1,000 from P500 previously. The social pension is given to eligible senior citizens who are frail, sick or with disabilities, and do not receive any pension from other government agencies. “Through the help of local government units (LGUs), we are trying our best to releasee the social pension on time to help our grandmothers and grandfathers cope with their daily needs,” Monteverde said. He said the DSWD is continuously distributing the social pension to ensure uninterrupted delivery of services to senior citizens.

Source: philstar.com