A total of P119 million is set to be released this year for social pensioners in Western Visayas.
A social pensioner
Records of DSWD6 revealed that the amount will be given to a total of 19,904 senior citizens with age from 77 years old and above.
According to Judith Marte, focal person on Social Pension, they have already started releasing the 1st quarter stipend of the pensioners last March with a total of P29.8 million already disbursed. Next period will be in June.
“Implementation is continuous and we are releasing their pension every quarter,” said Marte.
If broken down, allocation for Aklan is P14.1 million; Antique, P15.7 million; Capiz, P13.5 million; Guimaras, P4.4 million; Iloilo, P44.3 million; and Negros Occidental, P27.1 million.
The Social Pension for indigent senior citizens is one of the provisions under Section 5 Republic Act 9994 otherwise known as the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.
It is an additional government assistance in the amount of P500 monthly stipend to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of indigent senior citizens, subject to a review every two years by Congress in consultation with the DSWD.
As defined in Section 3 of RA 9994, indigent senior citizens refer to any elderly who is: frail, sickly or with disability; without pension; and no permanent source of income, compensation or financial assistance from relatives to support his or her basic needs.
In 2012, 18,505 elderly received P111 million./dswd6/May Rago-Castillo