THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will be releasing a total of P404.9 million for the social pension of elderly in Western Visayas.
Records of DSWD show that the highest chunk will go to Iloilo Province with P141.3 million; Negros Occidental, P93.8 million; Capiz, P54.7 million; Aklan, P51.3 million; Antique, P48.7 million and Guimaras, P14.9 million.
The government fund will go to a total of 67,499 senior citizens who are 65 years old and above.
The social pension is the monthly stipend amounting to P500 to augment the daily subsistence and other medical needs of indigent senior citizens.
It is in-line with the fulfillment of the obligation of the government to protect the most vulnerable sector through social protection, and for the full implementation of the Republic Act No. 9994.
The social pension is implemented with the objective to improve the living condition of eligible indigent senior citizens.
Specifically, it aims to augment the capacity of indigent senior citizens to meet their daily subsistence and medical requirements; reduce incidence of hunger among indigent senior citizens; and protect indigent senior citizens from neglect, abuse, or deprivation./dswd6/May Rago-Castillo