TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is preparing for the release of P1.66 billion for the social pension of indigent elderlies in Eastern Visayas for the second semester of this year.
Officials from the DSWD regional office here have been meeting with provincial and local social welfare and development officers, city and municipal accountants, and treasurers to discuss the guidelines on the release of the financial benefits.
“For the second semester of the year, there is a change of the frequency of distribution from semestral to quarterly basis. Our senior citizens can expect payout by September for the third quarter and December for the fourth quarter,” DSWD regional information officer for social pension Ivan Malquez said in an interview Wednesday.
In the first semester of 2024, the DSWD transferred PHP1.66 billion to local government units for distribution to eligible seniors.
With the effectivity of Republic Act 11916, or the Act Increasing the Social Pension of Indigent Senior Citizens, the monthly social pension stipend for each beneficiary has increased from PHP500 to P1,000 to support their daily subsistence and medical needs.
The program granted cash to 277,802 seniors from the six provinces of the Eastern Visayas region in the first semester of this year.
Eligible recipients must be 60 years old and older, frail and sickly, and without pensions from other government sources such as the Government Service Insurance System, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, Social Security System, and private insurance companies.
Recipients also should not have a regular source of income or support from family or relatives to cover their basic needs.
(SARWELL Q. MENIANO/PNA)
