By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
As part of the administration’s continuing efforts to improve bureaucratic efficiency, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the transfer of the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) from the Office of the President to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) by virtue of Executive Order No. 96.
This move would ensure that the elderly would have better access to policies and programs that would look after their health and welfare, further enhancing the delivery of social services tailored for their needs.
The NCSC was established under Republic Act No. 11350 or the National Commission of Senior Citizens Act of 2019 to ensure full implementation of laws, policies, and programs for the promotion and protection of the rights and well-being of senior citizens.
Also included in the President’s directive under EO 96 was the transfer of the Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens (SPISC) to the DSWD, which provides financial assistance to eligible senior citizens to provide for their daily needs.
Established in 2022 under the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 (Republic Act No. 9994), the SPISC shall be transferred from the DSWD to the NCSC within three years after the law takes effect.
“The implementation, distribution, and management of the SPISC Program shall continue to be under the DSWD. For this purpose, the DSWD may seek the assistance of the NCSC to ensure the successful implementation of said Program,” EO No. 96 said.
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