2.96 million seniors receive social pension – DSWD

MANILA, Philippines — Up to 2.96 million indigent senior citizens nationwide have received their social pension for the first and second quarters of this year, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

As of May 31, up to 2.2 million elderly received their pension amounting to P3,000 each for the first quarter of the year, Edmund Monteverde, DSWD’s protective service bureau chief, said.

Another 751,022 senior citizens received P6,000 each covering the first and second quarters, Monteverde said.

“We want to ensure that our senior citizens, especially the indigent and vulnerable, are able to meet their basic daily needs through this support from the government,” he said.

Republic Act 11916 or “An Act Increasing the Social Pension of Senior Citizens” provides that starting January 2024, indigent senior citizens are entitled to a monthly stipend of P1,000 from P500 previously.

The social pension is given to eligible senior citizens who are frail, sick or with disabilities, and do not receive any pension from other government agencies.

“Through the help of local government units (LGUs), we are trying our best to releasee the social pension on time to help our grandmothers and grandfathers cope with their daily needs,” Monteverde said.

He said the DSWD is continuously distributing the social pension to ensure uninterrupted delivery of services to senior citizens.

P5.18 billion allotted for feeding program

Meanwhile, up to 1.5 million children aged three to five years will benefit from the supplemental feeding program of the government this year.

At a Palace briefing yesterday, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the government has allotted P5.18 billion for the 2025 supplemental feeding prgram.

Starting this month, hot meals will be served to 1.5 million children enrolled in child development centers across the country for a period of 120 days.

Gatchalian said the budget for each child’s hot meal was increased from P15 to P25.

“This will ensure that children participating in the supplemental feeding program will receive sufficient nutritional value,” Gatchalian said.

Aside from nutritious hot meals, undernourished children will be given packs of fresh milk, which costs P22 per child.

Funding for the program will be downloaded to LGUs, which will handle the procurement process for the program, Gatchalian said.

He said that DSWD regional offices may assist LGUs that have no capacity to procure on their own.

The DSWD is also looking at expanding the electronic vehicle program for persons with disabilities (PWDs).

The program is currently being implemented by the Sustainable Livelihood Program Associations for PWDs employed in multinational companies, Gatchalian said.

He said the e-vehicles are provided under the DSWD’s sustainable livelihood program for PWD-electric transportation service project.

“We want to scale this up until it becomes regular lines. The first line they are looking at is the Quezon City route,” Gatchalian said.

The plan to expand the project came following a viral post on social media showing a man with autism being physically assaulted in a public bus. — Helen Flores