124K elderly in WV get social pension

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The Department of Social Welfare and Development-Region 6 (DSWD-6) announced recently that 124,705 senior citizens in Western Visayas have already received their pensions for the first quarter of 2022.

DSWD-6 Regional Director Ma. Evelyn Macapobre said they started the payout in February 2022.

“We are listening to the people and we understand that our Lolos and Lolas need their social pension. This year, the payout will be on a quarterly basis,” Macapobre said.

For every quarter, a social pensioner will receive P1,500, which covers the P500 monthly pension.

The whole year stipend amounts to P6,000.

The number of senior citizens so far served comprises 34 percent of the target recipients.

Mariecar Labinghisa, DSWD focal person for Social Pension, said they are optimistic that the distribution will be finished by end-March.

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

As mandated by Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, 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 years by Congress, in consultation with the DSWD.