BACOLOD CITY — A total of 1,547 indigent senior citizens in this city received PHP2.32 million in cash assistance given under the government’s Social Pension Program on Thursday.
The distribution, facilitated by the city’s Department of Social Services and Development, was held at the Bacolod Arts, Youth and Sports Center.
Each beneficiary received PHP1,500 each, or PHP500 per month, for the first quarter of 2018.
In February this year, 650 senior citizens in the city also received a total of PHP1.95 million in government social pension. Each senior citizen received a total of PHP3,000, or PHP500 each month covering six months.
The Social Pension Program, implemented through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), is provided under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 or Republic Act No. 9994.
Senior citizens qualified to receive the PHP500 monthly pension are those who are frail, sickly or with disability; without any pension from other government agencies; and without a permanent source of income or source of financial assistance/compensation to support their basic needs.
The age requirement of beneficiaries has been lowered to 60 years with additional funds as provided for by Republic Act No. 9994.
Originally, only senior citizens aged 77 and above received the pension, but the age was later lowered to 65 and then 60 years old.
Social workers of the local government units are tasked to conduct a validation/assessment to determine the qualified indigent senior citizens from the list submitted by the Senior Citizens Affairs Office. The validated list will then be submitted to the DSWD for final assessment. (Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
