Indigent Senior Citizens to receive increase in Social Pension

Iloilo City- The head of the DSWD Field Office VI has confirmed that the Social Pension beneficiaries will be receiving double the amount that they used to receive this year.

Atty. Carmelo N. Nochete, regional director of DSWD Field Office VI, said that the provisions of Republic Act 11916 will already be effected this year, thus increasing the Social Pension of Indigent Senior Citizens from P500 to P1,000 per month.

“This means that for the whole year, instead of the previous amount of P6,000 per year, they will be receiving P12,000 Social Pension,” said Atty. Nochete.

RA 11916 is also known as an Act Increasing the Social Pension of Indigent Senior Citizens and Appropriating funds therefor, amending for the purpose Republic Act no. 7432, entitled “An act to maximize the contribution of senior citizens to nation-building, grant benefits and special privileges, and for other purposes.

In Western Visayas, there are 385,954 Indigent Senior Citizens who are receiving the Social Pension.

If broken down, there are 46,148 Social Pensioners in Aklan; 41,972 in Antique; 56,265 in Capiz; 14,767 in Guimaras; 13,676 in Iloilo City; 152,748 in Iloilo Province; 5,975 in Bacolod City; and 54,403 in Negros Occidental.

Social Pension is the additional government assistance to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of indigent senior citizens.

As indicated in the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 or RA 9994, it is an additional government assistance which aims to: improve the condition of indigent senior citizens by augmenting their daily subsistence and medical needs; reduce incidence of hunger; and protect them from neglect, abuse, deprivation and natural and man-made disasters.

The grant of social pension is subject to a review every two (2) years by Congress, particularly as to the amount of pension.

“This latest development of increasing the pension is a milestone in elderly care. We thank our legislators for this initiative. Now, the elderly will be enjoying as this comes into reality,” said Director Nochete./dswd6