Social pension for indigent senior citizens doubled

By Jennifer P. Rendon and Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Good news for more than 300,000 indigent senior citizens in Western Visayas as they will be receiving an increase in their financial assistance starting February 2024, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-6 confirmed.

Atty. Carmelo Nochete, DSWD-6 regional director, said that beneficiaries will get double the amount that they used to receive this year.

The increase is relative to the effectiveness of the provisions of Republic Act 11916.

From a P500 monthly allowance, indigent senior citizens are set to receive P1,000.

“For the entire year, instead of the previous amount of P6,000 per year, they will be receiving P12,000 Social Pension,” Nochete said.

RA 11916 is 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.

The DSWD-6 pegged that there are around 385,954 indigent senior citizens who are set to benefit from the social pension increase.

Iloilo province has the most number of social pensioners at 152,748 while Capiz has 56,265;

Negros Occidental with 54,403; Aklan with 46,148; Antique with 41,972; Guimaras with 14,767; Iloilo City with 13,676; and Bacolod City with 5,975.

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 that 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 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,” Nochete said.